Shattered Past, Dawning Future
by Arius the Heretic
Summary: It all started out when a invitation to the most mysterious and prestigious Moon Festival came to their doorstep, inviting everyone. But during their stay there the clan is attacked causing yuki-onna to loose her memories and waking up as a different person. But sinister things are afoot when they realize that there is more than meets the eye when recovering her memories.
1. Prologue

**Ugh, I can't believe I just posted another story, but I guess I can't help it. This one has been on my mind for quite awhile now and couldn't resist. Anyways I did this in a rush so sorry if there's any mistakes also I can't gurantee that I'll update soon 'cause I'll be concentrating on my other stories. So please understand if you find this fic interesting. PS: the cover pic. ain't mine i just borrowed it. I hope the artist doesn't mind.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nurarihyon no Mago, Shiibashi Hiroshi does. **

**Prologue**

_Many centuries ago, during a time when the Earth was still new, there lived the Primordial Gods. _

_They lived in an entirely different dimension which many would call Heaven. _

_Many of the Gods had taken residency on Earth and started to claim lands and created life to their liking. One of the first Gods, Izanagi and his sister Izanami were summoned into being and was tasked with the duty of creating land. To aid them, they were given a spear decorated with jewels named Ame-no-nuboko. _

_Standing on Ama-no-ukihashi, the floating bridge of the heavens, they plunged the spear into the ocean. When they pulled it free, the water that dripped from the spear coagulated and formed the first island of the Japanese archipelago. Here the first gods and humans were born._

_Despite being siblings, Izanagi and Izanami wedded each other and had many children, all of whom would later become the Gods of Japan. Their married life however, came to an unexpected end when Izanami became ill. It turns out, she was pregnant with another child, however this child was special, for even before birth it was powerful. The longer the child grew in her womb, the weaker Izanami became, which caused great distress in Izanagi's part as there was nothing he could do. Until the day came when the baby was about to be born, but it was not a peaceful one. Instead, Izanami was burned to death as the child finally revealed himself to be Kagustuchi, the God of Fire. _

_Grief-stricken by his wife's death, Izanagi looked at the infant with rage in his eyes and chopped the child to pieces with a sword. However the child did not die, instead those pieces turned into living entities and spread all throughout Japan, becoming one with nature. After that, Izanagi would then venture to Yomi-no-kuni, the underworld, to retrieve his wife but would ultimately fail._

…_At least, that's how the legend goes._

…_But what if that wasn't the end?_

…_What if that child, Kagutsuchi survived?_

…_What if a part of him still remained?_

_Just like the myth of Pandora's box, Kagutsuchi's pieces had spread out all except for one._

_And that piece, that one small piece, grew and grew that by the time Izanagi came back that small piece had turned into a child once more. Shocked by this discovery, Izanagi was about to strike the child but stopped when he remembered what happened before. So instead, he turned his back on the child and went back to his home where he mourned for his wife._

_All alone with no one to care for him, Kagutsuchi lived a hard life. He was scorned and ridiculed for most of his life because the other gods knew of the crime he had done. Some would have even loved to kill him but the child was not weak. Despite being a fragment of himself, Kagutsuchi was strong, so strong that he was able to ward off even the strongest of gods away. And as he grew older the other gods started to fear him as well._

"_He is just a fragment, yet he is already so strong! What will become of us if he ever becomes whole?" one god had said during one of their yearly meetings. _

_This cry had sent the other gods into a frenzy, and so they pleaded with Izanagi to do something about the child. Should he grow any further they feared that he would one day kill them all as the child was very wild and prone to attack others at the slightest provocation. The king however ignored them and continued to reminisce about the past where his wife was still alive. This was proof that the king had long ago abandoned the child and was indifferent about what happens to him. In the end, the gods had decided to keep their distance from the young fire god. They still hated him, but they also feared him._

_Several decades later, Kagutsuchi had grown into a man. His powers were unparalleled, his exploits unbeatable and his rage unquenchable. The gods had started to fear him even more and had labeled him as the strongest god to have ever lived. But instead of gaining recognition from the others, Kagutsuchi was shunned. Many times the gods wondered what it would've been like if he was whole, would he be as strong as his father? Or even more? _

Somewhere withing the darkness a pair of red eyes opened.

"Hmm…" an man hummed, as he turned from where he was sitting.

He was an old man, his form quite shrunken and his white hair shriveled but tied in a loose knot. A few strands of his hair fell away, framing his wrinkled face. The man was not quite human though, as his face resembled that of a turtle with his drooping but scaly skin and beak-like mouth. But one look at his eyes you would know that he was not weak. His eyes showed great wisdom and age that it would be best not to underestimate him.

It was the middle of the night, but the old man remained where he was. He had not moved from his spot ever since they finally found what they were looking for. It took them several years but it was all worth it. A sound was heard then, the kind where someone's foot would bump into a stray stone and send clattering down the path. The sound echoed all throughout the passage way until it reached the room where the old man was in.

"Hey old man, is there any change?" a man younger than the other by several years walked in. He was clad in armor with a sword strapped to his waist and a red tattoo marked the side of his face. Even though the warrior's tone was rude and his appearance sudden the old man didn't even react as if he expected him.

"…No." the old man eventually replied, his black beady eyes still fixated on the area before him. "But I felt a brief stirring." His voice was hoarse as he spoke. He took a step forward, the long robe he wore trailing behind as he stood a few feet away. In front of him was a huge pool of lava, the volcano they were staying in was dormant until a few years ago it had started to react. The air was dry and hot causing any exposed skin to burn and dry. If they weren't ordinary beings they would have died from dehydration or suffocation, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

"Oi, are you serious?" the other said excitedly.

"Yes." The older said as he took another step forward. His eyes narrowed as he searched for the source of power he felt. The lava betrayed nothing at first, only bubbling and broiling as it has been for the last fifty years they've been there. Curios, the other man also stepped forward until he was standing beside him and that was when it happened. The lava in front of them exploded. The force knocked them off their feet and sent them smashing against the wall. Disoriented, the men watched in both fear and awe as a figure started to appear from within the lava.

First it was just a hand, followed by an arm and then the shoulder, then finally the head. It was difficult to see the face as everything was covered in molten lava but strangely the figure inside didn't seem to be hurt. In fact the lava seemed to be caressing him, enveloping him inside an embrace the same way a mother would do to her child. The hand that was raised clenched into a fist and brought itself down on to the floor, creating a crack in the process. The lava covering it splashed everywhere as it finally released the figure of it's burning embrace revealing smooth skin. Another hand was raised from within the lava and planted itself next to it's partner and together they worked to get the body out of the pool. Once it was halfway through, the lava dripped down to reveal a man. A man with tanned skin, a muscular body and red hair that stuck to his face. He was panting slightly, his mouth open as he took in deep breaths. Once he had calmed down, that's when he noticed that he wasn't alone. Slowly, he raised his head, his long hair covering most of his face but it did nothing to hide his eyes.

The two men flinched as they felt an overwhelming fear consume them as those deep red eyes stared at them from the fire. He radiated a power that was like no other that it sent them trembling in their seats, but the older of the two managed to move. His entire body was shaking but the old man managed to kneel without breaking eye contact with the being in fire.

"Lord Kagutsuchi…" he faltered. He licked his lips and tried again. "We have been expecting you." And with that, he put his hands in front of him on the ground and bowed low.

Still submerged into the lava, the man didn't say anything instead he felt a cold breeze. It was only for a moment, but he still felt it and he turned his head to the direction of where it came from. The passage way from where the warrior had walk through was dark but in the distance he could see something. Outside the sun had started to rise, so from his spot all he could see in the tunnel's opening was a small speck of the sky.

_In the legends, Kagutsuchi was scorned by all and hated by the rest, but unknown to most he wasn't alone. No, there was someone who always stood by him. _

_Someone who always cared for him and never left his side. _

_A goddess that was always overlooked._

_The last child of Izanami._

_The water goddess. _

"Hair as black as night, but stained in blue…" he murmured, as he stared at the small opening.

* * *

"Waka! Wake up you're going to be late!" a cheerful voice called out from outside the young master's room.

"H-Hai! I'm coming."

* * *

"Skin as white as snow…"

* * *

"Waka, don't forget your lunch." The yuki-onna said, handing the boxed lunch to the boy.

"Thanks!" the boy said said gratefully as he placed the lunch into his bag. "But didn't I tell to stop calling me that?"

"Ah! That's right, sorry Rikuo-sama."

* * *

"Eyes…a neverending blue…"

"Oi! Wait for me!" a large, bulky person said as he ran outside the house.

"Hurry up Aotabo!" yuki-onna said as she and the other boy were already standing in the treshold.

"Let's go Tsurara." Rikuo said.

"Hai!"

* * *

_That person's name was… _

"Mizuhame…" the man said.

* * *

"Huh?"

"Tsurara? What's wrong?" Rikuo asked.

The aforementioned girl was standing a few feet behind them, her body twisted a bit as she looked over her shoulder. "Hm?" she snapped out of it once she heard her master's voice and turned to see them looking at her strangely. "Oh nothing, it's just that I thought…" she stopped when she realized how ridiculous that sounded. "Nothing." She said, shaking her head. "Probably just my imagination."

"You sure?" Rikuo asked with slight concern in his voice. "Hai!" the yuki-onna said cheerfully as she raised her hands to prove it. "If you say so." He said.

"Earlier you were naggin at us to hurry it up, now you're one who's taking up time." Aotabo complained.

"Ah! You're right!" Tsurara shouted as she realized that they were going to be late.

"If we run we'll make it." The taller man said. "Then let's go, go, go!" yuki-onna shouted as she and the other two ran. Trailing behind them, Tsurara couldn't help but look back again. Seeing no one, she just shook her head once more and caught up with the the other two. But still, she couldn't shake off this feeling that something was going to happen.

"_Strange."_ She thought. _"I thought for sure someone was calling me."_

**Ok, that's it for the prologue. Please review! Depending on how many viewed this i just might update sooner, well, that only depends on my mood though ;) **


	2. Chapter 1: The Stranger

**Okay, before I begin, I've got to say…I'm surprised, which is putting it lightly. Seriously, I really didn't expect to get some reviews, much less those who actually favorite-d it, I mean, in my opinion nothing really happens in the prologue. But since you guys have been kind enough to leave me some I decided to put my other stories aside and started this. But I'm warning you guys again, I won't make promises that I'll update this as soon as a I can because for one thing: I'm a college student so I'm busy. The second is that I'm not a Japanese person, so I'm not well-versed with their culture and other myths. So one of the reasons why I won't be updating soon will be because I'll be doing research. You have no idea that there are so many gods just as there is so many yokai. So forgive me if I make a mistake on some terms and other stuff. Anyways, on with the story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nurarihyon no mago**

* * *

**Chapter One: The Stranger, The Singer and the Heartache**

_Have you ever experienced a moment where your whole world comes crashing down?_

_A single moment where everything you know is torn apart and shred to pieces?_

_Well, I have._

_And let me tell you, it is the most horrifying experience anyone could ever imagine, especially if everything you believed in was all fabricated lies and you're left with nothing but an empty husk._

_But first let me tell you where it all began,_

_This is my story…_

* * *

I remember that day like it was yesterday, so many things happened yet I didn't even notice. I was so blinded that I failed to see the signs even when it was happening right in front of my eyes. I'm ashamed to admit it, but it's the truth. Even though other people will tell me otherwise, I know that it's my fault; I let this happen, so there's no one to blame but myself.

The day started out normally like it usually does with me waking up earlier than everyone else and preparing everything for the day. I cooked and cleaned and even prepared young master's lunch so that he wouldn't have to worry about doing it himself. Once that was done, I decided to have a break and waited until it was time to wake the young master up. I usually wind up in the living room then. It was wide and spacious, not to mention airy since it was close to the garden.

"_The weather for today will be clear blue skies with – "_

Beep!

"_The economy is experiencing a sudden downsize as the – "_

Beep!

"_Just in, the rising star Miyamoto Aoi has just arrived in Ukiyoe Town to continue his concert tour in Japan. Already many fans are lining up to get a chance to – " _

That's right…I remember sitting by the kotatsu then, my hand held the remote while the other was propped on the wooden furniture with my chin resting on it. Everything was so quite that I was sure that I was the only one awake. The only noise came from the TV that I opened and the screen doors were pushed aside so I could judge the time by looking at the sky. Everything was so peaceful…but…I couldn't really describe it. The only reason why I remember that day so clearly was because when I woke up something felt off. Not in a bad way, but it didn't feel good either. More like…I felt anticipation, like something big was going to happen, but I didn't know what. And because of this I was so absorbed in my thoughts that when I looked at the clock it was late.

"Oh shoot! The time!" I said, as I immediately stood up and rushed out the door. "Waka! It's time to wake up!"

That was my first mistake.

If I had stayed longer, I would have seen the last two news reports.

"_A week after Mt. Fuji's sudden eruption residents living nearby has been making preparations to leave. Scientists though have assured them that recent activity in the volcano is only temporary and that Mt. Fuji will go back to its dormant state. Researchers speculate that the cause for this sudden activity was due to the geothermal shift underneath the ocean – "_

_Bzzt!_

"_-two bodies were found near the edge of the forest by campers this Monday morning. The bodies were severely burned and no IDs were found making it impossible to identify the victims. Three days ago, the same type of murder occurred in a town not too far away from here and another in the highway. Police suspect that they're dealing with a serial killer traveling on foot and are steadily heading east. Possible areas where this killer might end up in are xxxx city, xxxx town and finally Ukiyoe town. Citizens please be warned, if you find anyone suspicious please report to the police immediately. Also-"_

* * *

After a whole hour of rushing and running about, three figures can be seen dashing out of the Nura household. One of them would be me of course, following the young master as he ran down the street with a piece of bread stuck in his teeth. Next to me was Aotabou who easily caught up to us.

"Mou! Waka! It's getting harder and harder to wake you up these days." I said.

"Sorry Tsurara," the master apologized. "I've just been so busy lately."

"Maybe you should take some time off waka." Aotabo suggested. "Me and Kurotabou can handle the night patrols."

"I couldn't possibly let you guys do all the work." He protested.

"It's fine!" Aotabo stressed. "You've been working yourself to hard lately. You should give yourself a break."

"But-"

"He's right waka." Tsurara said. "There haven't been any threats lately so you should relax a bit more."

This was how our mornings usually started. With the threat of yokais and exorcists trying to kill us gone, our days were spent in peace. We still have our night parades every now and then, but it was usually spent partying in some bar or scaring off some rowdy yokais. In short, life was good…but I still couldn't shake off the feeling I got this morning. It was also around this moment that I committed my next mistake; I bumped into someone. Gasping in surprise, both me and the other person stumbled a bit, but soon recovered. A took a step back and bowed a little, "Sorry mister!" I said and ran off.

I honestly didn't know which one was the correct path to choose then: should I have just ignored him and continued on my way or should I have stayed longer. If I had chosen the latter, I would've noticed that the man in question was wearing clothes that were much too warm to fit in this weather, or that his arms and neck were covered in bandages, or the fact that he wore sunglasses and a hat that practically hid his face. If I had looked back, I would have also noticed how strangely he looked after me once I caught up with Aotabo and waka.

* * *

"Hey Tsurara, check this out!" Saori exclaimed as she and Tori shoved something in front of my face.

"It's, uh, a magazine." I stated, not really sure where this was going.

"Duh," Saori said, as she rolled her eyes, "I meant the article."

"Oh!" I said in understanding as I scanned the words in front of me. The article wasn't that long and it was easy to get the gist of it. Basically it talked about an idol coming to town and all about his achievements in the entertainment business and whatnot.

"What's all this fuss about?" Kiyotsugu asked as he and Shima approached their table.

"Oh, we were just talking about how Miyamoto Ao-sama." Tori answered.

"Miyamoto Ao?" Shima repeated. "Who's that?"

At that, Saori had gasped dramatically with a horrified look on her face. "How could you not know him!" she exclaimed, her voice so loud it almost disturbed the other students. "He's like a super famous star. Not only does he model for several companies, he's also the leading actor in several movies. Recently he started a career in singing and by god! His voice is _so _dreamy!"

"_And_ he's performing a concert right here in this town." Tori added and both girls ended up squealing in excitement.

"Oh, so it's just some idol." Shima said, unimpressed.

"Hey! Ao-sama is not just _some _idol!" Saori said, as if she was the one being insulted. "He managed to reach stardom in a matter of three years, faster than how you got sponsors to support your training."

"Hey!" Shima shouted, taking insult.

"Come now, this is ridiculous." Kiyotsugu said. "I've never even heard of this guy before."

"That's because you guys are either too busy training or researching yokai." Saori said as matter of fact with Tori agreeing with her. Both boys flinched at this, "W-Well, not all of us spend our time watching T.V.!" Shima countered. "Isn't that right Tsurara-san?"

"Huh?" I asked in surprise as all eyes were on me. I thought the name sounded familiar, and then it clicked. "Ah! I think I've heard of him before."

"See! Even Tsurara knows him." Tori said triumphantly. Technically, that wasn't true. I've heard his name said before, but this was my first time learning that he was an idol. That didn't matter though because the four had started an argument right here in class. Good thing it was homeroom.

I just sweat-dropped and sighed, leaning back against my chair, I turned my attention away from the teens and stared out the window. This was another reoccurring moment that happens daily in my life, not that I minded. The fact that these humans can argue about the pettiest things signified just how great of a job waka did. These humans didn't have to be worried about yokai attacking them anymore and they can walk outside safely in the dark again. It's nice to see his hard work paying off, but of course that doesn't excuse me from my duties. After everything we've been through, me and Aotabo had remained as waka's bodyguards. He didn't seem to mind, and we continued on with our school life.

A whole year passed since the Gokadoin House incident, many people were of course pretty freaked out about it. But the people who weren't there to witness the event dismissed it as some animation shooting gone wrong or an attack done by terrorists. It didn't really reach the news so the entire event was only heard through rumors and eventually it was forgotten. Life started being normal again as if the entire thing never happened. That's one thing I admire about humans, no matter how horrifying the experience was, they always managed to move forward. Just like the kids that my master hangs out with. They've been put through a lot of danger recently even though it wasn't always intentional, but they always managed to put it behind them. I mean, they all know what he is now, yet they still see him as a friend, it's amazing. Now I see why waka is so hell-bent on protecting them, they're precious.

They're all in their first year of high-school now and amazingly we all ended up in the same class. Nothing much has changed with them, but I won't deny that all of them have matured somewhat. Tori and Saori have become even more beautiful and accepting of our kind and Shima have become less afraid of us. Kiyotsugu is still enthusiastic about his yokai research and hangs out at our house almost every weekend. He's much calmer now than he was before and interviews every yokai he meets with an air of professionalism and awe. It was almost flattering. The only one missing from our group was Yura, the young exorcist was training back at her home and won't be back until next semester. I still have mixed feelings about her, but I can safely say that she's a comrade that can be trusted. Though she wasn't the only one missing in our group

A peal of laughter took my attention away from the window and I turned my head to the back corner of the room. There sitting on her chair was Ienaga Kana and beside her, leaning on a neighboring desk was Rikuo-sama. They were both laughing at something and seemed absorbed in what they were talking about. The scene sent a pang in my chest but I decided to ignore it and looked away.

* * *

Several hours have passed and before I knew it, classes have already ended. Nothing eventful happened and as always we had homework to do though I never did understand their importance. If it weren't for waka insisting that we do them I would've long abandoned them. The bell had rung a long time ago too and most of the students have gone home already. The only ones left were those with extra-curricular activities, but I knew for a fact that waka didn't have any club meetings after school so I was wondering where he went off to, which is why I spent the next fifteen minutes looking for him.

"Rikuo-sama!" I called, as I ran through the hallways. Aotabo had already gone on ahead, something about dealing with a gang and stealing territories. I sometimes forget that Aotabo was the leader of his very own human gang. When I reached the first floor, I heard a familiar laugh and I immediately brightened up. I followed the source but once I got close I heard another voice and I stopped.

Ienaga Kana.

Waka wasn't alone.

I stopped in the middle of the hallway; my smile gone as I inadvertently listened in on their conversation. I really couldn't make out the words though, they were muffled but I could clearly hear the laughter and joy in their voices. I heard something shuffle then and I flinched when the door to the classroom opened and waka stepped out with Kana right after him.

"Matte Rikuo!" Kana said.

"Hurry up, it'll be late soon." Rikuo said. It was only when he turned that he noticed me. "Tsurara?"

"Oh hey, Rikuo-sama." I said, a smile was plastered on my face as I waved. "I was just looking for you."

"Oh you were?" he said, "Sorry about that."

"That's okay," I said, and then I noticed that both of them had their bags with them. "Were you making plans or something?"

"Uh, yeah," he said, while scratching at his cheek. "There's this new store that Kana wants to go to and it sounded interesting so I wanted to check it out."

"I see…so does that mean you'll be late for dinner?" I asked.

"About that…I don't think I can make it, so I'll just eat out."

"_With her you mean."_ I thought, but I didn't voice it out and instead: "Ok, have a nice day, and be careful on your way home."

"I will." Waka said with a smile as he and Kana left, leaving me alone once more.

Once they were gone I realized just how quiet the hallway was. Was it always this big too? I felt really small then and cold, but that was only natural since I was a snow woman after all. But somehow I could tell that this cold didn't come from me. Sighing, I decided to head back and pack my things. The sun was setting once I got out of school and everywhere I could hear the faint noise of other students doing their club activities or otherwise preparing to go home as well.

It was always like this now, every day after school I would find myself walking home alone. Aotabo would accompany me sometimes, but he had other duties elsewhere, as for waka…ugh, I don't even want to think about. I imagined that a lot of people were looking at me weirdly as I sighed out loud in the middle of the street but I couldn't care less at the moment. The street was crowded with people and I had to pay attention to where I was going, but even then it wasn't enough keep my thoughts distracted.

I mean, what went wrong?

We were so close, but…ever since that day when we were stuck inside that storage room, waka has been avoiding me. We still talk to each other of course, but only when there's other people around and I don't know if it's just me but I can feel a certain strain between us whenever we're together. The only time that we are together is when we go to school but even that is limited. I suspect that some of the other members of the clan have started to notice, but thankfully haven't mentioned it yet. Even his night form is ignoring me now, he still acts the same but he's been spending most of his nights patrolling the city instead of sitting on his favorite tree in the backyard. Of course, it could all be just in my head, but come on! It's been an entire year since we last had a proper conversation.

It was almost night then, the streets were quiet and some of the streetlights were starting to light up, but there still was some sunlight no matter how feeble it was. I was also nearing the Nura residence then too, but I couldn't bring myself to walk further, not like this anyway. I was really glad that nobody was around then because I felt like crying. My face was scrunched up, but I hid it in my scarf and my hands tightened in their hold on my bag strap.

It was really frustrating, no scratch that, it was _painful_. I mean, after all we've been through, after all the hardships we've faced together _was that it?_ Didn't those things mean anything? Was that all our relationship was? Or better yet, did we even _have _a relationship? Did he just view me as a friend this whole time and that the moment we had at the storage room was just my imagination? The last thought was like a sucker punch to my stomach because it would really hurt if that was true. I hate being uncertain and I hate feeling this way, but there was nothing I could do. I swore an oath that I would always follow him and never once did I regret that decision, but now it's getting harder and harder not to rethink it. Every time I do I always feel terrible and berate myself in the end. It's like I'm stuck in this cycle and I can't find a way out. I hate it. I groaned deeply at this and I couldn't help but think that the world was out to get me.

_It was also at this moment that I committed my third and final mistake._

Without me noticing it, something small and red made its way towards me and it's wasn't until it bumped into me that I finally did. It was an apple. A big, red, shiny apple. Without thinking a bend over and picked it up.

_I shouldn't have done that._

Apple in hand, I looked up and saw another apple on the ground. It was then that I found out that I was standing near the park entrance without even realizing it. Then somewhere in my peripheral vision I saw another red thing rolling by and upon closer inspection it was a third apple. It vaguely reminded me of a trail as I followed it while picking up the rest of the apples and once I did…that was when I met _him._

_I should have just ignored it and left. _

There was a man sitting on a wheelchair next to the bench and behind him was a huge tree that must've served as a cover during the day. He wore a simple brown kimono with the front area parted slightly and wooden clogs. He didn't wear anything underneath his clothing, but any exposed skin he had was covered in bandages. Only his face was free from any blemish but even then I wasn't sure. His face was covered by sunglasses which was weird since it was almost night and he was wearing a bucket hat. Before I could think of anything else, I noticed the plastic bag on his lap filled with apples. I was also just in time to see him pick up one apple from the ground and put it back to the bag.

"Hey mister, are these yours?" I asked, referring to the apples I hand in hand.

_I should have just kept on walking._

The moment I approached him, the moment he lifted his head the last of the sun's rays landed on his face, giving me a clear view of his eyes. And they were like nothing I've seen before in my life. They were red, but not like waka's, his eyes had different shades in them. They reminded me of fire.

"I remember you." He said his voice surprisingly smooth.

"Huh?"

"You were that girl who bumped into me this morning."

_That day started the countdown towards the moment I'll stop being Tsurara and become something else…_

* * *

"Ao-sama! AO-SAMA!"

"I LOVE YOU!"

"PLEASE SING MORE SONGS FOR US!"

"Thank you! Thank you, people of Ukiyoe city." A handsome young man on stage said. "It was pleasure to be here tonight. Goodnight."

More cheers were heard as the idol gave a bow at the same time the curtains were falling, not that it helped. The idol could still hear the fan girls' shouts if only muffled slightly. Sighing a bit, the idol straightened up and wound up stretching instead. It was a hectic day, most of it he didn't really remember and before he knew it was being shoved into this costume and pushed on stage. He didn't really mind though, he was used to it. Now that he didn't have any work to do, he was free to do whatever he wants. With that in mind the idol tossed the mike to a stagehand and made his way to the dressing room.

Another stagehand had offered him a cool bottle of water which he gladly accepted before closing the door. Once he was alone, he sank into his seat and without hesitation; he pulled the cap open tipped the bottle over and let the cool contents drench his skin. He didn't care if he was creating a mess his make-up or that he was wetting the floor all he cared about was the relaxing feeling of being surrounded by water. But something felt missing.

"_It's not cool enough…"_ he thought as he opened his eyes to see an empty bottle. Huffing a bit, he threw the bottle into a nearby waste basket without looking and relaxed into his seat, not at all uncomfortably in his wet clothing. It didn't last long though because soon enough the door suddenly slammed opened and in came a middle-aged man in a suit.

"You did great tonight Ao!" the man said excitedly as he entered. "You really knocked the crowed wild there."

"Thanks manager-san." The idol said as took the time to grab a towel and started to dry himself.

"No, thank _you._" The manager stressed. "A few scouts were actually in the crowd watching your performance."

"Oh, really?" the idol said, but he was only half listening as he changed his clothes.

"Yes!" the manager said, "They want you to work in their companies and even sing some of their songs. They're willing to promote you further."

"That's nice." He said half-heartedly as he began wiping his face for any make-up left.

"Nice? _Nice?"_ the manager repeated incredulously, "Ao, this could be your big break!"

"You said that about a hundred times already." The idol said, as he pulled his jacket on.

"Well this time it's different." The manager huffed. "This could be your chance to be known to the whole world."

"Actually…" the young idol interrupted. "I'm thinking of taking a break for a short while."

"What?" the manager said, dumbstruck.

"You heard me." Ao said, as he put on a hat to hide his face. "I'm a bit tired of all this showbiz stuff. It's about time I catch a break."

"B-But Ao! What about the contracts they'll be expecting a reply." The manager tried to reason as he watched the young man walk passes him.

"Tell them I'm sick or something." With a wink, the man left.

"Ao-" the manager called after, but stopped because the moment he stepped out of the room the idol was gone.

The moment the idol stepped out of the building the young man had a genuine smile on his face. Walking briskly out of the alley, the man made it to the busier streets, but he was not alone. Soon, without anyone realizing it, strange figures were taking shape around the man's form. Things that no human eye could see, things that were not meant for this world. The things that surrounded him were yokai.

"Ao-sama! Ao-sama!" one of the lesser yokai called out.

"Hmm." The young man answered.

"I'm confused, thought you like singing?" the yokai asked.

"I do." He said. "I'm just taking a break."

"What are you gonna do then?" another one asked.

"Probably visit a friend. I heard from some of the yokai here that he lives somewhere in this city." He smiled to a few school girls who were looking at his strangely for seemingly talking to himself. He just waved it away.

"Ooh! Is it that Nurarihyon-sama!" one of them said excitedly, and soon the others also clamored for answers. All they got was a smile. "Yes." He said.

"I hear that he isn't the leader anymore." one of the demons said, "His grandson is in charge now."

"Grandson?" the idol repeated. "That guy has a grandson?" after seeing the nods of confirmation the man thought to himself blankly, "Huh, I've been away longer than I thought." But it was soon replaced with a smirk.

"This should be interesting."

* * *

**Ok, new character, YAY! Just be warned I'll also be adding a lot of new characters, if you don't like then don't read. Tell me what you guys think about Tsurara's inner turmoil thing, 'cause I don't think I got it right. Not really good at the whole emotional aspect you see. That's all, please review.**


	3. Chapter 2: Unexpected Visitor

**Hey there peeps, sorry it took me awhile to update, but I had a perfectly good reason for that. It's a long story but to sum it all up I had eye surgery, one for each eye mind you. It was done separately because I couldn't stand the thought of being blind even though it's only temporary. There's actually a high possibility that I might have to take another surgery because my right eye is still blurry. So yeah, my life kinda sucks right now. Either way, on with the story!**

**PS: one of you guys mentioned that I should've made the description to Tsurara's eyes gold instead of blue in chapter one, but there's a reason for that. That's all I'm willing to tell you. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nurarihyon no Mago**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Unexpected Visitor**

The tale of the Aosagibi:

_Long ago, there was a blue heron and just like its fellow herons he too was shy and was often alone. However, unlike its fellow herons, this one was had a beautiful voice and all those who came before it was entranced by its ethereal music. It never lasted long though before the heron noticed it was being watched and flew away. _

_One day, a young lord who just came back from war was travelling through the wetlands in order to go home quickly. It was there that he heard the most wondrous and most calming music in his life. Following it, he came upon the majestic figure of the heron and immediately he felt his body grow stronger and more relaxed. However, the blue heron noticed him and took flight, leaving him and his entourage in a trance._

_Once they came back to their senses, the lord immediately ordered his soldiers to hunt the heron down. It took days of searching, but eventually they managed to catch it and bounded it in rope. The lord then brought it back to his home and presented it as a gift to his dear wife. There, the heron was put in a gilded cage and kept as a pet. Lavish parties soon became a common occurrence in that household as the heron was the centerpiece of each occasion and its voice being the main source of entertainment. The lord's family soon became known all throughout the land as the owners of such a wondrous beast. Many came far and wide just to hear the soft tinkling of its voice. _

_Meanwhile, the heron was given everything he needed, but it wasn't free. Soon it longed for the open skies and the wet marshes, but no matter how much it begged and pleaded, no one would listen. It was a prisoner, fated to be caged for all eternity until…_

"Uwaah! Japanese food is definitely the best!" Inside a simple family restaurant a certain blue-haired customer stood out from the rest. Next to him, there were piles upon piles of empty dishes with more food coming his way.

"Hey mister!" the same customer cried, "I'd like another serving of unagi and tonkatsu, oh and some tempura as well. And then for dessert I'd like some dango, make it 20."

"Damn boy, you can really pack it in." the chef commented as he served the requested food. It was his first time seeing a customer order almost all the food in the menu, much less eat it in record time and then order some more. It was a good thing he was a capable cook otherwise he would've had his work cut out for him.

"It's been a long time since I came back to Japan you see." The customer said, scratching his head. "The food abroad is great and all, but I really missed rice. No matter how much I ate it just wasn't enough."

"So you're a returnee eh?" the chef said impressed. "No wonder you look classy." Anyone who had heard that would've agreed. The customer, upon entering, had gained looks even without his gluttonous appetite being revealed. It was the way he dressed. The clothes he wore were simple and yet immaculate that anyone would think they were brand names. Even with the shades covering half his face anybody could tell that he was good looking. "I'm glad." The chef added.

"Eh? Why's that?" the customer asked.

"Well you've been eating my food nonstop now, so I'm just hoping you got the cash to pay for it."

"Oh! You don't need to worry about that." he said, taking his wallet out for emphasis.

"That's good to hear." The chef smiled. "Lately there's been a string dine and dash incidents happening all over the city. Shops like mine are afraid they'll be next so we gotta stay vigilant. So I can't help but be a bit wary to new faces."

"No worries, I understand." He said. There was a pleasant smile on his face, but the air around him changed though it wasn't noticeable. "Hey mister," he called, stopping the older man from returning to the kitchen. "What you said just now…I'm kinda interested. Will you tell me more about it? I'll give you big tip in return."

_30 minutes later…_

"Man, the food was great!" that was the first thing Miyamoto Aoi said as he stepped out of the restaurant. "Maybe I should've ordered take-out, but then I'll lose even more money. Oh well, I'm full anyways." It was late afternoon then, school and other business had let out and now the streets were filled with people. Seeing this, the secret idol smiled as nostalgia filled him. _"No matter how much time passed, some things are still the same." _He thought. _"Speaking of which, that guy seems like he's still up to his old tricks. Finding him should be a piece of cake." _

With that happy thought in mind, the man started walking into the streets. If this was centuries ago, the idol would have cringed at the sight of this many people, but now that he was older, blending in was easy. It was truly ironic. Back when was still a little boy he used to be so afraid of humans, but now he was a famous celebrity known by almost everyone in the country. Admittedly, he still felt a bit queasy from all the attention, but he was getting there. It actually took him a lot of courage (and 50 years of debate) to even consider taking up show business, after all he did have the talent for it. And after years spent wandering the globe it was time for him to put the past behind him. After all, the only thing keeping him back was already gone.

A flash of blue out the corner of his eye brought him out of his thoughts and when he turned to look he felt as though the air was knocked out of his lungs. It was a girl, but not just any girl. He couldn't see her face, but that was alright, her hair was what caught his attention the most. It was long and black, with the color of icy-blue mixed into it and black swirls to one side. "Impossible…" he said, wide-eyed and shocked. "There's only one person I know with that hair color…but that person is…"

Unconsciously, he started to follow that girl, uncaring if he bumped into anyone on the way. He needed to see the girl's face, he needed to make sure, but she was too far away! Urgency filled his very being as he fastened his pace, but the girl was soon swallowed up by the crowd. Alarmed, Aoi pushed his way through and ignored all the shouts and insults thrown his way in the process. Once he made it to the other side though, the girl was gone. Panting slightly, Aoi wiped the sweat off his face and wondered for the first time if it was just his imagination.

* * *

School has just finished and as usual Tsurara found herself walking home alone. Rikuo had found another activity to do on the last minute and Aotabo had other duties to attend to. She supposed she should've expected it; after all it's been three months since it started so no surprise there. What she did find surprising though was that she wasn't as bitter about it as she was a week ago. Something new happened to her that changed her usual schedule. It was the meeting with that injured man with the fiery eyes.

Thinking back on it, she couldn't help but smile at their first meeting. When she found out that she bumped into him that same morning she blushed madly and started apologizing for her rudeness, but the man quickly assured that it was alright. In return, he asked her to help him pick up all the apples that fell because obviously he couldn't do it himself. He was in a wheelchair for god's sake, so Tsurara readily agreed, anything to get rid of the embarrassment she felt. After that, she went home and thought nothing about the incident and continued on with her life. The next day though, she saw him again in the exact same spot, without any fruit this time and he seemed to be staring off into space.

Seeing this, she couldn't help but stop and stare at his figure. For some reason or another, this man exuded an air of mystery. He was all alone in the park without any aid and yet he was clearly injured judging from the bandages that covered his hands and torso. It made her wonder then on how he got them in the first place. Next she couldn't shake off the feeling that something about him was foreign. Even though he looked Japanese, it felt like he was from an entirely different world, either that or she was thinking too much. Lastly he had this sort of face that made it hard for anyone to guess what age he is. When she first saw him, she was only focused on his eyes, but now looking clearly she thought that he had this timeless look on him. It was also at that moment that he noticed her.

"Good afternoon." He said with a smile. Tsurara jumped and blushed at the same time for being caught. "G-good afternoon." She greeted back, voice filled with embarrassment.

"Just gone back from school?" he asked.

"H-Hai." She answered.

"I see, but isn't it early though?" he inquired. "Usually kids your age spend time playing with friends before going back home."

"Ah…well, let's just say all my friends are busy at the moment." She said, remembering Rikuo's latest excuse. "Anyways, I better get home."

"I see." He nodded. "Thank you for your time."

And just like that, Tsurara went home and did her usual duties. The next day though, it was the man's turn to notice her first. At that time, Tsurara was feeling a bit down again because she caught Rikuo spending more time with Kana. The thoughts that had consumed her the other day all came rushing back and for a moment she felt like crying. That never happened though because soon something small hit her head. It didn't hurt but it was enough to startle her out of her misery and looking down she saw that it was an orange.

"Are you alright?" a familiar voice said and sure enough when Tsurara looked up it was that man again. This time he had a plastic bag full of oranges on his lap. Making the connection, Tsurara picked the fallen orange and looked at him incredulously. "Did you just throw this at me?" she asked as she came closer to him.

"Yes." He answered without a hint of shame. "Yes, I did."

"Why would you do that?" she asked, further confused.

"Because you looked sad," He simply said. "Same as yesterday and the day before that, though this time I think that it's more than just your friend's absences that's making you like this." Tsurara flinched at the man's accuracy and couldn't help but take a step back. The man's eyes narrowed, but he calmly took an orange and began peeling it. "I won't force you to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable." He said, and it was then that Tsurara noticed that he was having difficulty peeling the fruit. His hands were shaking from time to time that he had difficulty having a firm grip on the skin and only managed to tear a small portion off.

"Do you need some help?" she asked, albeit a bit timidly.

"I'm fine." He said. "Besides, this is therapy for me. I need to regain my body's movements sooner or later."

"What exactly happened to you?" she asked, and then realized just how personal that question was. "I'm sorry that was rude of me, forget I ever said anything." The man didn't react though. "It's fine." He said. "To be honest with you, I'm not so sure what happened either."

"Eh?"

"It appears that I was in some sort of accident long ago and I just recently woke up. My memories are a bit hazy and might take me awhile to recall everything."

"_Well that explains everything."_ Tsurara thought. It made sense why he had those injuries now and why he couldn't seem to function properly and added to the fact that it was her first time seeing him there as this was her usual route to and from school. "So why are you out here alone? Shouldn't you have aides?"

"I wanted to be alone for a while." He answered. "My caretakers can be quite strict, so I wanted some time where I won't have to listen to their constant nagging."

"Must be rough." Tsurara commented.

"At first I thought it was. But after seeing that sad look on your face I became convinced that it wasn't. After all, such an expression doesn't suite your pretty face." He said, holding up his hand then with a piece of citrus in it. After he said those words Tsurara couldn't stop the full blown blush on her face as this was the first time anyone had called her pretty. Not even Rikuo said that to her.

"N-no thank you." Tsurara said, waving her hands a bit at the fruit offered and took another step back. "I better head back now." then she realized she was still holding the fruit that was thrown at her. "Also…" she trailed off handing the fruit back, but the man shook his head. "Keep it." he said.

"Thanks." Tsurara said before running off, but before she could get far though she remembered something. "Hey mister, what's your name?"

The man smiled then and for some reason Tsurara realized just how handsome he was. "Why don't you make one up for me?"

And so from that day forth that man was called Aka-san because of his red hair. Tsurara didn't know why he wanted her to make a name for him, but she didn't ask. She just chalked it up to his memory loss being more severe that he thought. It was also from there that she started to see him more. He was always in the same spot, so whenever school was out she would stop by and have a chat with him. The conversations never lasted long but it still left her feeling better than she had in days. In school or at home she was always busy with something, so it was only when she was walking home that she felt the full weight of the stress that Rikuo was putting her through. But over the course of the week she found that she had something to look forward to now, and it felt…nice.

And so it was here that Tsurara found herself sitting on a bench next to the man. _"The fruit this time are bananas." _Tsurara thought amusedly as she peeled the offered fruit and ate it. No words were spoken between them yet except for the usual hello, but that was fine. There was a relaxing sort of quietness between them and neither wanted to disrupt it yet. Eventually though, Tsurara decided to break it by asking the one question she's been dying to ask since she first started talking to him.

"So…" she started. "Have some of your memories come back."

"A bit," he said, almost as though she was asking what time it was instead of something personal. It was this sort of reaction that sometimes made Tsurara worried that this guy was socially inept. Even though she enjoyed his company there were times that she felt that he was totally distant. Nevertheless, she continued on from where she left off. "Oh? What do you remember?"

At this, Aka-san had this distant look on his face as though he was seeing something far away. "I remember a woman." He said. "I can't remember her face clearly, but I know she was important to me."

"Where is she now?" Tsurara couldn't help ask.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "That's what I like to find out myself."

"I shouldn't have asked, sorry." Tsurara said, suddenly feeling ashamed for some reason, but Aka-san shook his head. "It's fine." He said. "I'm actually glad that you did. My caretakers don't really care about my past, just my health. I feel that if I don't at least try to recover my memories I might lose something important. If you weren't here to remind me of that I would have truly lost it, so I'm grateful."

"_There he goes again."_ Tsurara thought with a slight blush on her face. This was one of the reasons why she enjoyed his company. Even though he was slightly detached, he said words that made her feel better and because it was nice to feel appreciated again. Coughing slightly, Tsurara looked away and changed the subject. "So, aside from that, have you remembered your name?"

"Actually I did." He said, surprising her. "It was the first thing I remembered."

"EH!" Tsurara shouted. "How long ago?"

"Since I woke up."

"Then, why did you insist that I make a nickname for you?"

"Because I liked it." he simply said, while chomping on a banana. Tsurara couldn't help but face-palm at that. _"This guy is unbelievable."_ She thought. "Does it really matter?" he asked, "My name is hard to pronounce, so I thought it was easier if you just continued on calling me Aka-san." After thinking about it, Tsurara shrugged. "I suppose not." She said, and then stood up. "Anyways, I better get home. The others might start wondering where I am."

Aka-san nodded in understanding. "Thank you for chatting with me then."

"See you tomorrow then." Tsurara said after waving goodbye and started to walk back home. Once she got back though, she felt more than saw the tension that was building up inside the household. "Hey Kejoro, where is everyone?" Tsurara asked as she caught sight of the older woman.

"Ara Tsurara, okaeri," Kejoro said. "Everyone's in a meeting right now."

"Eh? Why? Did something happen?"

"I'm not sure." Kejoro said. "I don't really know the details myself so why don't you go check it out."

"Okay." Tsurara said, leaving the older woman to her chores and went to her room first. After dropping off her stuff, Tsurara made her way to the meeting hall and on the way she saw some lesser yokai gathered about. Curious, the yuki-onna sped up her steps, but once she got there it seemed like the meeting was over. People were already stepping out of the conference room, but judging by the size and importance of the people attending it didn't seem like the was problem serious. Kubinashi was the last to come out and once he did he noticed Tsurara.

"Tsurara? Did you just come home?" he asked, noting her school attire.

"Ah, hai." She said, awkwardly. She didn't want people knowing that she was meeting up with a total stranger after school. "Did I miss something while I was gone?"

"You could say that." He sighed, and somehow he looked irritated. "Apparently there's some trouble in the form of a serial killer. About a month ago, a bunch of random people were killed the same way. The reason why we never noticed before is because it all happened in different cities. Now we got information that, that killer is in town."

"That's terrible. How did they die?" Tsurara couldn't help ask.

"They were burned to death." He answered. "The whole body charred to a crisp where not even the latest technology can identify who those victims were."

"And you guys think its yokai?"

"It's possible, there's also the fact that someone's been asking around looking for Nurarihyon-sama. It's likely that these two are connected somehow."

"And you think that someone is after Nurarihyon-sama?"

"That's what we can't figure out." Kibunashi said, as he scratched his head, looking more aggravated than he did before. "We can't think of any fire yokai, at least those strong enough to oppose us. And even if they were, they would be a fool to come and attack us now, not when we're at our strongest. That's why this situation is so frustrating." The older man breathed heavily through his nose then, the stress of the meeting wearing him down. Feeling the tension rising, Tsurara meekly took a step forward. "Is there anything I can do to help? I mean I don't have any chores to do, so the more the merrier, right?"

Kubinashi seemed to consider it. "Actually we're about to go patrolling right now. The extra eyes can certainly help." Tsurara smiled and soon after groups were formed and destinations were assigned. Before they left though, Tsurara had asked if Rikuo had been notified of the current situation.

"Ah, no, I think we haven't yet." Kubinashi said. "We've been so caught up with the meeting that I guess we forgot."

"That's alright. I'll let him know myself." Tsurara said, as she took out her phone. But just as she was about to send the message, she hesitated. _"He's not going to ignore me this time, is he?"_ because for the last few months that's how his treatment towards her is. Tsurara shook her head then and pressed send.

* * *

Rikuo sighed for the umpteenth time as another student spoke up and demanded more funds for his club. If he knew that this meeting would take so long then he shouldn't have come at all. The only reason why he did was because the president of his club got sick and being the good guy he was he offered to go in his place. Now he was sincerely regretting that decision. It was like a warzone there. All the club presidents were battling it out with the student council members for money to support their various activities. Rikuo had already gotten what he wanted, which was a simple replacement for the ac that broke inside their clubroom. Now the others, especially those in the sports departments wanted more funding for equipment, training camps and other things.

By then it escalated into a full blown shouting match and all Rikuo could do was watch and sigh. _"When is this going to end?"_ he groaned. A minute later, his phone vibrated and seeing that the others were too absorbed in what they were doing he took it out and read the message.

_Sender: Oikawa Tsurara_

_To: Nura Rikuo_

_Waka, there's a serial killer on the loose. Everyone thinks its yokai and that it might be after you or Nurarihyon-sama. Please careful on your way home._

Rikuo's eyes furrowed in concern as he read the text and was about to call, but stopped once he realized what he was about to do. Frowning deeper, he decided against it and stood up, grabbing his bag on the way. He walked up to the nearest council member and had to tap their shoulder to get their attention.

"Excuse me; an emergency came up so I need to leave right away."

"What? Uh, yeah, sure, go ahead." The frazzled member said as he and the others tried to reign in the chaos. Rikuo nodded his thanks and turned to leave. Once he was outside, the noise was relatively muted and he sighed in relief. Looking out through the windows he could see that the sun was starting to set, but it would be a while before night truly fell. Once that happened his Night self would take over and everything would just repeat. Unbidden to him, he suddenly thought of a certain yuki-onna and he sighed once more. Frustrated, he tousled his hair and looked up to see his own reflection in the window. _"I need to get my act together soon."_ He thought.

"Rikuo?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned to see his childhood friend standing by down the hall. "Kana?" he said.

"Hey, what are you still doing here?" she asked.

"Ah, well club president got sick and someone needed to go to the meeting so I volunteered." He said smiling politely, but Kana just frowned. "You're still doing that? Geez, someday someone's gonna take advantage of you."

"That won't happen." He assured. "By the way why are you still here?"

"Just like you I also had some club activities. I just finished and was about to go home." Kana said.

"I see, do want me to escort you?" He asked, but deep down he knew that was just an excuse. He didn't want to go home just yet. Kana's eyes brightened at the offer and immediately agreed. Again, another bitter feeling settled in his stomach as he knew that Kana was only interested in his Night form. It wasn't that hard to tell really. Still, he let himself be dragged along to this girl's whims, only because it hurt less.

"_I really am a coward."_ That was the last thing he thought before leaving.

Night was fast approaching once they reached the city and the streets were getting busier. The usual sounds of traffic and chatter filled the air, but Kana kept up a steady stream of conversation as they walked. The topics were usually day to day stuff, like how her cat got sick or that she got a bad grade on the test they had that morning or about Kiyotsugu's latest yokai trip. Some of them were funny, especially the latter, and Rikuo would often laugh and make comments, but he was only half listening. The text message had him on edge and he surveyed the streets for anyone suspicious. His senses had grown stronger over the past year, so even in his human form he could make out who was human or not by the fear being emitted in the air. So far, only minor demons were about; even so, he didn't let down his guard.

"Rikuo-kun! Kana-chan! Is that you?" someone called from behind them. Surprised, both brown haired teens turned around and saw Maki and Tori just coming out from a store behind them. "Hey, didn't think we'd bump into you guys here." Tori said as she and the blonde approached.

"The same could be said to you guys." Rikuo said, "It's almost late, why are you still around?"

"Ah, that's because there was this sale at our favorite store you see, so we couldn't resist." She admitted, lifting up the shopping bags in her hands. "That's…quite a lot." Rikuo commented.

"So?" Maki said, raising an eyebrow. "A girl gotta be free to do whatever she wants, especially when it comes to shopping."

"I think that only applies to you Maki-san." Rikuo sweat dropped.

"Kana-chan, are you alright?" Tori asked, bringing attention to the other girl.

"Ah, it's nothing." She said, "It's just that I noticed that, that group over there has been looking at us a lot." Upon saying that, all three of them turned and saw that there was indeed a group looking at them, the unsavory kind that is. There were five of them in total and judging from how they dressed, it was so obvious they were delinquents.

"What! They're still here?" Maki said in disbelief.

"You know those guys?" Rikuo asked.

"Not really," Tori said, looking worried. "We just noticed that they've been following us for quite some time now."

"And you didn't call the police?"

"Well we didn't think they'd actually wait for us while shopped to our hearts contents." Maki countered, but even she started to look worried.

"Okay, we should all just leave already." Rikuo said and herded the girls away, but at the same time the group watching them earlier started to move too.

"They're following us." Kana whispered, fear tinting her voice.

"Everything's going to be alright." Rikuo assured. "We just need to stick to the crowds."

"What if they try to follow us home?" Tori asked, worried. "We can't always stay together and we all live in different places."

"And you can't exactly transform into you're Night form either since we're in public, and not to mention that they're human too." Maki added.

"Then we try to shake them off first, if we can't do that then we call the police." Rikuo said as he determinedly herded the girls away. But no matter where they went that group seemed just as determined to follow them. He'll admit, Rikuo felt a bit troubled by this because no matter how he looked at it, those guys were humans, so what did they want? A little while later he realized too late of the mistake he made. He was so focused on trying to get away from that group that he hadn't realized that they themselves were being herded as well. Next thing he knew, all four of them were trapped inside an alley with ten men, five on each side, blocking the exit. Being the good guy he was, Rikuo stood in front of the girls with his arms raised, trying to shield them from the thugs.

"Look at what we have here." one of the older guys said, his nose ring glimmered in the night. "A little guy trying to be a hero eh?" that comment sent a few snickers within his group, and one of his underlings even spoke up "Those are some fine looking ladies, think he'd share some of them with us boss?"

"Well, what do you say kid?" the man who appeared to be the ringleader said. As he approached, Rikuo could feel the girls shudder behind him and that caused his protective instincts to rise.

"Look, you don't want to do this." Rikuo said, after all he was used to people underestimating him. True, he was still a bit small for his age, but he managed to lose some of his baby fat and decided to train in his human form too. So even without transforming he was still capable of fighting. The other guy still took it the wrong way.

"See that?" he exclaimed. "Now he's trying to threaten me, ain't that something." Guffaws were then heard as the boss leaned in and roughly grabbed unto Rikuo's shirt. Said boy, clenched his fists and was ready for a fight to break out until –

"Ara? Am I interrupting something?"

Startled, all fourteen of them, turned towards the source of the voice and was surprised to see a well-dressed man standing at the entrance of the alley. He looked confused for a bit, but then smiled. "Hi there, I'm new to this city so I'm a bit lost. If one of you could just point me in the right direction I'll be out of your hair in a jiffy." All of them looked at the guy as if he was crazy until finally the ringleader snapped out of it and shouted at him. "Dude, can't you see that we're in the middle of something here."

"Oh, you are?" the stranger said in surprise, but when he saw the backed up teenagers and the thugs surrounding them, his eyes narrowed. "You are." He repeated, but there was more hostility in his voice. The guy closed his eyes for a moment and huffed as he took off his shades and put it into his shirt pocket. "Now this is something I can't stand seeing." He said, as he casually walked into the center of the group. "Ten grown men ganging up on some poor children, really is this the conduct of an adult?" he asked, but everyone knew that he was quietly insulting them, especially by the way he looked at them. Once his eyes were revealed, an indigo shade, Maki gasped and grasped Tori's hands excitedly. "Oh my god, it's him!" she squealed.

"What? You know this guy?" Rikuo asked, surprised at the squealing girls.

"It's Miyamoto Aoi!" Tori exclaimed as she and her best friend both squealed in delight. "You mean…that guy that you both been idolizing these past few weeks?" Rikuo clarified, sweat-dropping at the heart-shaped eyes that formed on his friend's faces. _"What's an idol doing here?"_ he wondered.

"Now, now, we're all adults here. So why don't we all talk this out, hmm." The now named stranger said.

"I think you should just butt out of it buddy." The ringleader sneered; most of the thugs had decided to surround him then instead of the teenagers. With the lack of attention Rikuo was wagering whether or not he should stay and help the stranger or if he should take this chance and run. "Such crass language," The idol mockingly said. "You are aware that there are teenagers here right? Isn't our duty as adults to set an example?"

"I'll give you an example alright." The ringleader said, seeming to be pissed off as he started to crack his knuckles. "Boys, once I'm done with this guy you better take everything he's got, and watch the brats too." Rikuo cursed under his breath as he realized they lost their chance to run away. He had no other choice but to fight now. Rikuo was just about to slip his short sword out when suddenly the idol started talking again. Somehow, even though he was surrounded by ten guys, he seemed calm, unaffected even.

"Even after all these years, you humans never learn do you?" he said, which caught Rikuo off guard, but what really surprised him was what happened after. The guy started singing. It was so out context that everyone looked at him as though he was crazy until he felt it. The heir to the hyakki-yakou actually felt a chill run down his spine as there was fear imbued to that man's voice, a real strong one too. None of them realized it though because soon, the delinquents and even his friends became lethargic all of sudden.

"Wha-What are you trying to pull you bastard?" the ring leader said, steps shaky as he tried to punch him. Said idol easily dodged it and stopped singing. "Ara, I didn't take you to be the sturdy type." The idol commented. "Oh well. It doesn't matter; this whole thing will be over quick." Before anyone knew it, the idol was moving so fast that the thugs easily fell, but to Rikuo, he could see it clear as day. Because of the song, everyone's movements and even their reaction times had significantly slowed down, to the point that it wasn't even a fight anymore. Three minutes; that was all it took before every last one of them were on the ground. By then, all the girls had snapped out of the haze they were in and was functioning normally…at least, as normal as teenage fan girls can be.

"Oh my god thanks so much for rescuing us!"

"Can we have a picture of you, pretty please?"

"Give us your autograph too!"

"Okay, okay, one at a time girls." The idol said, his hands raised in surrender and a pleasant smile on his face.

"Rikuo, what just happened?" Kana asked as she and Rikuo watched the idol do as the girls requested.

"I'm not sure." He answered.

"Here you go." The idol said, handing a signed notebook back to ecstatic Tori. "Well, I better get going now."

"Already?" Maki said. "But we just met you."

"Sorry girls, there's a place that I need to be, so I would really appreciate it if you guys kept this meeting a secret okay. Be careful on your way home." He said.

"Sure! We can totally do that." Hearing that positive reply, the guy smiled and started to walk away, but stopped when he felt a cold metal tip touching the nape of his neck. Turning slightly, indigo eyes met brown as they came face to face with the boy he saved earlier. "You know a boy your age shouldn't be playing with dangerous weapons." He said, turning his whole body around while nudging the blade away with his finger.

"You don't need to worry about that." Rikuo said. "This blade is special you see. It can only cut certain things, and since you managed to touch it, that means you're not human."

The idol's eyes narrowed at the revelation. "An exorcist blade." He concluded. "What are you, an omyouji?" he asked. "I'm telling you now; I'm pretty strong even without my voice."

"I'm not an omyouji." Rikuo said.

"Then what are you then?" the idol asked as he examined the boy from top to bottom. After a while he realized it. "You're a Halfling." He said, awe tinting his voice. "I haven't seen your kind in ages, no wonder I didn't realize what you are."

"I'm a Quarter actually." Rikuo corrected. "Anyways, who are you and what are you doing in this city?"

"Relax kid, I'm not here looking for trouble."

"Then what are you here for then?"

"Work, obviously." He said. "I may be pretending to be human, but my job as a singer is legit. I'm just taking a short vacation for now."

"Why should I believe you?"

"I just saved your life kid." The idol retorted.

"Still doesn't mean I should trust you."

At the last comment, Aoi let out a deep breath before leveling Rikuo with an even look. "Look kid, I'm yokai. That much is obvious, but there are some yokai who are born good, evil or just plain neutral."

"And you're saying that you're good?" Rikuo asked dubiously.

"I'm saying I'm a neutral type." He countered, then shoving his hands in his pockets; he regarded the teenager with a look. "Tell you what kid, why don't we both transform. A yokai's true form can say a lot of things, so you can judge whether or not I'm telling the truth."

"How do I know it's not some trap?" remembering what he said earlier about being strong Rikuo was wary around the man. What if he turned out to be a strong yokai and he couldn't handle him alone? There was no way he was taking that risk. However, the man looked as though he read his mind because suddenly he smirked "You're the one holding a sword to my throat." He said. "How about this, only I transform and you keep the sword to my throat. If you've read up your yokai history then you should know that I'm harmless."

"Wait-" Rikuo started but the guy started transforming. Blue smoke and light started to radiate off the guy and Rikuo cursed under his breath as he too was forced to transform. There was no way he was going to let this guy have the upper hand. The girls had all stood frozen at the side and was only snapped out of it once they started transforming,

"What the hell!" Maki shouted.

"Rikuo!" Kana cried.

Once the smoke cleared, they could see that both men haven't moved from their spots. Rikuo, in his Night form was as imposing as ever with Nenekirimaru clutched in his hand, the only difference was the other man. Instead of the modern day clothing, he now wore long silken robes and his face, even though not much changed, had an ethereal look to it, like it was enhanced somehow. But what really caught their attention was the large set of blue wings on his back. Now that he took a closer at him, it was obvious from the way he dressed that this man wasn't dangerous at all. The kimonos he wore were too flashy that Rikuo realized that they were actually clothing meant for entertainers during the Edo period. Not to mention he didn't have any weapons on him, meaning that his voice was his sole advantage in a fight. It made sense now why he chose to be a singer as his occupation.

"You look just like him." He said, the tone of his voice changed so drastically that it made Rikuo look up and see his awestruck face. "Tell me kid; are you by chance the alleged grandson of Nurarihyon?"

"And what if I am?" he countered, eyes narrowed distrustfully and body tensed for a fight. What he didn't expect though was the big grin that suddenly split his face.

"I've always wanted to meet you!" he exclaimed, surprising the boy and grabbing his hands in the process, then pumping them up and down mindful of the sword still in the boy's hand. "What's your name kid? How old are you? How's your grandpa doing? Is he still eating everyone's snack? I bet he does, doesn't he? That guy never changes at all he's-"

"Okay, stop," Rikuo cut in, taking his hands back raised them in surrender. "Just, who are you exactly?" he asked once he got his bearing back.

"Oh, sorry, forgot my manners there." The older man said sheepishly. "Let me try again. My name is Aoi and just like you I'm a yokai, an Aosagibi to be exact. And I happen to be an old friend of your grandfather."

* * *

A few hours later, when Rikuo, the girls and the mysterious man left, the ringleader and his cronies all started to wake up one by one. Groaning, the boss, sat up and spat the blood out from his mouth and cursed. He was livid that he was beaten by some pretty boy and swore that he was gonna get him back.

"Come on boys! We got some hunting to do!" he shouted once all his henchmen woke up, but none of them were exactly up to their best, not that he cared. They all stumbled their way through the alley, but before they could get out another figure came in and accidently bumped into him. Pissed off from the earlier beating and combined with a complete stranger bumping into him without so much as a backward glance set him off.

"Hey!" he shouted, but the stranger didn't stop walking. "I'm talking to you!"

But the stranger just continued on walking as if he didn't hear him. Infuriated, the boss followed the guy with quick steps and roughly turned him around and grabbed his collar. "You bumped into me you bastard. Now apologize."

"Don't touch me."

"What?" the boss said, surprised at the response, but was even more surprised to see the stranger glaring at him and he didn't know if he was imagining things, but they looked like they were on fire. "What did you say to me you-?"

Before he could even finish his sentence, he and the rest of his crew were engulfed in flames. It happened so quickly that he didn't even have time to scream. All that was left was charred remains, falling to the ground one after another and breaking even more. Once all was quiet, the stranger dusted himself and was about to leave, but stopped when a voice called for him.

"Kagutsuchi-sama." an old wizened figure of a man with a face similar to a turtle and a young warrior with a scar on his face came out of the shadows. Seeing them there, the red-haired man narrowed his eyes. "You've been following me." he stated, more than asked.

"Only because we worry about your health." The old man reasoned. "You must also learn to control your anger. Killing this many people will surely draw attention."

"I can do whatever I please." He snapped and started to walk away, after three steps though he stopped. Looking over his shoulder he leveled them with a glare "And also, if I ever catch one of you watching me again, I will obliterate you." he threatened.

"Yes, Kagutsuchi-sama," the two said in unison and bowed. Without another word, Kagutsuchi left.

His mind was so preoccupied with things, things like that blue-eyed girl. They came so close into discovering who she was and Kagutsuchi wasn't blind to his follower's loyalty. If they knew that he was spending time with her then there was no question that she would have been gotten rid of. Which was strange, because why would he care about this girl at all? He did kill ten men just now so what made this girl special? Frowning, Kagutsuchi stopped as a searing pain pierced through his head as memories of a past life started to resurface. He gripped his head as the pain reached its climax and had to gasp for breath once it was over. He didn't know why, but every time he was near that girl the pain just seemed to fade away. Looking up at the stars, he couldn't help but think that it was strange.

"_Why is it that whenever I'm near that girl I always feel nostalgic?" _


	4. Chapter 3: The Invitation

**Chapter Three: The Invitation**

It was exactly 9pm in the evening when all the yokai scouts received a text message from their waka telling them to stop their search and to come home. Curios, most of the yokais had put off the search for the intruder and went back to the main house only to be greeted with a weird sight. There seated at the head of the dining room was a blue-haired man stuffing his face with their food. On either side of him were of plates, bowls and sake bottles, all of which were emptied out by the man himself. The smaller yokai were frantic as they ran from the kitchen and back just to serve him and pass him new plates. Seated on the left side of the man was Rikuo in his Night form. Arms crossed and a frown set on his face, the young heir was burning a hole on the floor by the way he was glaring at it.

"Ano, Kejoro, did something happen while we were gone?" Kurotabo was the first to ask.

"Uh, well you see…"

_Flashback:_

"_Konbanwa! Is this the home of Nurarihyon?"_

"_Who the hell are you!?" _

"_How did you get past the guards!?"_

"_Ara? Is this a bad time?" the blue-haired stranger said. Sweat-dropping and hands raised in surrender as dozens of weapons were suddenly pointed at him. He knew that his arrival was unannounced, but seriously, it shouldn't warrant this much hostility! At that exact moment, the gate towards the household opened and in came Rikuo in his Night form._

"_Tadai – You!" Rikuo shouted, his finger pointed at him once he caught sight of the stranger._

"_Ah, Nurarihyon's grandson, care to help me out here?" the stranger said._

"_How did you get here?"_

"_You gave me directions, remember?" _

"_I know that!" Rikuo shouted his face red. "I mean how did you got here fast?" he distinctively remember leaving this man behind after giving directions and ran like crazy. He still didn't trust this man and wanted to make sure he was ready once he got there. He wouldn't admit it, but the meeting with the stranger had shaken him and he needed to gather his bearings._

"_Eh datte, I was so excited to see Nurarihyon that I flew here." The stranger even had the nerve to pout, causing Rikuo to have a vein to pop on his forehead. "That still doesn't mean you should go into other people's houses!" he shouted._

_GROOOWWWL!_

_There was a stunned silence for a moment before the blue-haired stranger sheepishly laughed. "Sorry, that was my stomach." He said, rubbing his head in embarrassment. "Flying sort of takes a lot out of me you see."_

_At that response, Rikuo couldn't help but smack his face with his palm._

_End of Flashback:_

"…And that's what happened." Kejoro finished.

"I…see." The monk said.

"Ano…Waka, who is this man?" Kubinashi said.

"Oh, this?" Rikuo said, still with a disgruntled look on his face. "This guy's name is Aoi, and he says that he's an old friend of gramps."

"An old friend, you say?" Kubinashi repeated, his eyes narrowed a bit as he and everyone surveyed the stranger. Finally noticing the crowd that formed, Aoi had put down his chopsticks and smiled benignly at them while giving a proper bow on his kneeling position. "Konbanwa!" he greeted. "My name is Aoi. In the human world I'm known as Miyamoto Aoi, a famous singer in the music industry, but you can just call me Aoi. I apologize for the sudden intrusion. I would've called, but I had a bit of trouble finding this place. Oh and also thank you for the food. It was delicious." He added.

"You say you're an old friend of Nurarihyon-sama?" Kubinashi asked, his entire stance tense as he eyed the stranger suspiciously. "That's right." Aoi said, still with that cheery smile on his face.

"Well I'm sorry to say this, but he's not here right now." Kubinashi said. "And we have no idea when he's coming back."

"That's alright, I can wait." The other said, leisurely leaning back on his hands as he relaxed. Kubinashi on the other hand shared a look with the others before sitting down in front of the guest. "In that case, you won't mind if I asked you a few questions then?" he asked.

"Go ahead." Aoi said.

"Alright then, what business do you have with Nurarihyon-sama?" was the first question.

"No reason really, I just wanted to say hi to an old friend."

"And how exactly did you become friends with him?"

"I've known Nurarihyon since we were kids, granted he was a few years older than me, but I knew him well enough so I guess it's only natural to want to see some old family members."

"Family member?" Kurotabo repeated with his eyebrow raised.

"Yep," Aoi said. "Me and Nurarihyon were part of this group you see. There were only two adults, the rest of us were all yokai children and other spirits. It was a group home of sorts, one where we were all orphans or just came into being without the need of parents. Once we grew older we all decided to go our separate ways." Despite his better judgement, Rikuo found himself interested in Aoi's tale, no matter how short it was. As a child Rikuo had heard every story there is about his grandfather, from his battles to his latest exploits. And yet it never occurred to him to wonder about his grandfather's childhood.

"I'm sorry, but I find that hard to believe." Kubinashi said. "If you really are Nurarihyon-sama's friend why did you decide to visit now? And second why haven't we heard about you until this very moment. Nurarihyon-sama has never mentioned you or anything about this group home of yours, so I have no reason to believe anything you say."

"Fair point," Aoi nodded. "When we all parted ways, I never said that it was on a good note. Something happened in the past that forced us to leave, so I can more or less understand why he wouldn't want to mention his past. As for the reason why I haven't come by until now, well…let's just say that I had some issues. So I've been out of the country to try and deal with them." it was then he shifted and faced them all properly. "Look, I know that I caused some alarm with my sudden appearance and for that I apologize, but I swear to you I don't mean any harm against you or your boss's family. If you still don't believe me then feel free to keep watch over me until Nurarihyon comes back. I promise I won't do anything." He looked at them all sincerely then, that it made some of the others uncomfortable.

"I have one last question." Kubinashi said.

"Fire away." Aoi said.

"What type of yokai are you?"

Aoi didn't answer at first. He looked surprised at being asked before he caught on to what he was planning. "I'm an aosagibi." He answered. "And before you ask, I did not kill those people." He stated, catching everyone by surprise. "While it's true that I'm a fire-type yokai, my flames aren't good enough to cause that much damage. Even if I did, it would've taken me an hour or so, and by then I would've been caught. And besides, I depend more on my voice manipulation to face my enemies since it doesn't cost me much effort…but if you guys still don't believe me, then I won't mind giving a demonstration." He smirked.

"That won't be necessary." Kubinashi said. "However since we only have your word for it and the fact that you have no affiliation with any clan means we can't trust you yet. We'll have to wait for Nurarihyon-sama to verify your story. Until then we'll have to move you into a more secure place. The dining hall isn't suited for that."

"Lead the way."Aoi said with his hands raised in surrender.

At the same time, the foyer of the main house was once again filled with people as the second scout group entered. "Man that was annoying!" Aotabo said as soon as he entered the house.

"We didn't find anything useful." Kappa agreed, following close behind the bigger man. They had spent the last five hours walking the streets looking for clues on the person committing the murders, or at least some info on the guy that was asking around about Nurarihyon. Instead, all they got was vague answers and half-truths. Strangely though, whenever they asked what the person looked like all their interviewees had this sudden dreamy look in their faces and wide blushes and heart-shaped eyes, especially among the females.

"I wonder why waka decided to call off the search?" yuki-onna said as she too entered the house. It was really strange, she thought. Usually, Rikuo would be the first one to jump at the sign of danger. Heck he reveled in the feel of a challenge, so it was really strange when he didn't participate in the search, much less leading it, unless…he was with Ienaga. Tsurara violently shook her head then. There was no point in thinking about those depressing thoughts, she thought, what mattered was looking for the guy who was committing the murders. Since no meeting was called, everyone was free to do whatever they pleased. Most of them went back to their rooms, including Tsurara. At the same time, the door leading to the dining room was opened and out came Kubinashi with the blue-haired stranger in tow.

"Hey, when do you think Nurarihyon will come home?" Aoi asked.

"I told you I don't know." Kubinashi said. "The master comes and goes whenever he pleases."

"Ehhh." Aoi whined. Then there's no telling how long he'll be there, he thought.

"Don't complain." Kubinashi snapped. "You were the one who asked for this, remember?"

"Yeah, but still…" he trailed off. At his sudden silence, Kubinashi turned his head and saw that the guest had his eyes glued on something. Following his gaze, the neck-less yokai was just in time to see Tsurara walk past the hallway there were in and disappear into another. Raising his eyebrow in curiosity, Kubinashi looked back at Aoi and was about to say something when the guest just suddenly made a mad dash for it.

"Hey!" he called after him, surprised as he watched the other run down the hallway and into the one the yuki-onna just entered. The said girl was by all purposes, distracted as the stress of the day finally weighed down on her. Fatigue made her actions slow and all she could think about right now was her warm bed and a goodnight's sleep. However she was brought out of her thoughts when someone roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Tsurara didn't have time to react as she stumbled backwards and landed on a hard chest followed by large hands that held her shoulders. Startled, Tsurara looked up only to be met with the deepest indigo eyes she has ever seen. The man was handsome, she'll give him that, but what really caught her attention was the way he looked at her. There was a mixture of bewilderment, disbelief and…longing.

"You…" the man started, his voice sounding breathless as he reached out a hand to touch her face.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Kubinashi shouted as he caught sight of the compromising scene. Hearing his cry, other yokai came out to see what was going on including Rikuo and the rest that was still in the dining room. Seeing so many people, Tsurara blushed madly in embarrassment and pushed the other guy away from her, stumbling back in the process. Kubinashi was quick to catch her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah." Tsurara stuttered out, her face still red. Nodding, the older yokai let go of the girl and fixed the stunned guest with a dark glare. "And you, just what do you think you're doing harassing one of our own?"

"I-I just – she…u – uhh…" he stuttered, looking completely lost. Tsurara blinked in confusion then. The man looked familiar, but she couldn't place her finger on it. It didn't help that he looked like a lost child then and was looking at her with pleading eyes – wait, what? Why was he looking at her like that?

"Ara, Tsurara, did you go patrolling looking like that?" Kejoro spoke up upon seeing the younger girl's get-up which was her school uniform.

"Ah," was all the yuki-onna said as she noticed for the first time that she was still in her human form. "I guess I did." She said and she then decided to change back. Once she did, she heard a light gasp and when she looked up she immediately regretted it. "Yellow…eyes?" he said. For reasons unknown to her, the man looked distraught at her transformation as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. It made her feel guilty for some reason, though she didn't know why. The guy seemed to snap out of it though because he closed his eyes and let out this slight laugh, and somehow Tsurara flinched at the hollowness of it. "Should've known it was too good to be true." He murmured, his eyes downcast, but she heard it all the same. "Forgive me." he said, addressing her with his voice filled with genuine remorse. "I thought you were someone else."

"It's…fine, I guess." Tsurara said hesitantly. "Just don't do it again."

"A-ree? What's this? The house isn't usually this lively when I'm gone." A familiar voice said and as one everyone turned towards the source and sure enough they saw Nurarihyon. The old man had a pipe stuck in his mouth and pieces of rice stuck to his chin, evidence that he had just stolen someone else's food. He surveyed the room for a minute, but when his gaze landed on the blue-haired idol his eyes bulged out.

"Aoi!" he suddenly shouted, finger pointed and pipe falling from his mouth in the process. "You're Aoi, right?"

The said idol was taken by surprise, but not on the level that everyone expected. "Um, yes that's my name and who might you be?" he answered in a polite way that threw Kubinashi off. _"What's this guy playing at?" _ He thought. _"Here is Nurarihyon-sama, the main reason for his visit and he doesn't even recognize him? Maybe it was all a lie after all."_ he almost convinced himself of that until Nurarihyon spoke up.

"Ahaha, it's been a long time since we last saw each other, so it makes sense that you wouldn't recognize me." the older man said, as he rubbed his head, a good-natured smile on his face. "But it's me Nurarihyon. You came to visit me, isn't that right?"

"Impossible." The idol flatly said.

"Eh, what do you mean?" Nurarihyon said, his smile turning into confusion.

"You can't be Nurarihyon." The idol said, crossing his arms.

"What makes you say?" the old man said, his good mood turning sour.

"It's because you're too old." Aoi said, causing everyone to stare at him in shock as he just openly insulted their master. A second later, a small projectile hit his head causing the idol to fall on his rump. "Ow! What was that for you old geezer!?" he shouted, while holding his sore spot.

"I see that you're grown a back bone since you left Aoi." Nurarihyon said while lightly smacking his other slipper on his hand. "Very well then, I'll prove to you that I am Nurarihyon." He declared, standing up taller and pausing for dramatic effect. Then he spoke, just not in the way that everyone expected. "One time, when we were kids I switched the rice in your bowl with live maggots and once you took a bite you screamed in a high pitched voice and ended up puking on the floor in front of everybody. Then next I poured hot water over your bed and when you woke up the next day you thought you wet the bed when you actually didn't. Another time I once told you that a monster would sneak in your room and eat you alive and you couldn't sleep for days after that. There was also this one time that I –"

"Ok, enough! Stop!" Aoi cried, his face red in embarrassment as he waved his hands wildly.

"Believe me now brat?" Nurarihyon said.

"Far from it." the aosagibi said. "Someone else could have told you that, I mean Nurarihyon wasn't that secretive in the first place."

"Yare, yare, not only did you become a punk, but a stubborn one at that." The former head of the house sighed as he picked his pipe back up and tapped it against his shoulder. "How about this then? When we were kids you used to call me by a different name. It was 'Itazura-nii."

Aoi was silent for a moment, his expression shocked as the truth finally settled in, and once it did, his face suddenly resembled that of The Scream. _"What the hell!?"_ he screeched, hands on his face as he looked gob-smacked.

"That face is highly offensive." Nurarihyon said, as he took a swig from his pipe.

"But – But, how?" he stuttered out. "We're almost the same age, heck you're a First Generation! You shouldn't have aged this much!?"

"Try having you liver eaten." Nurarihyon blandly said. "It really cuts your life in half."

"What?" Aoi said, confused, but at least it stopped him from freaking out any further.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you about it since you're here." Nurarihyon said, his good-natured smiled back on. Once again Aoi was quiet as he looked at the other, _really_ looked at him until he suddenly burst out laughing. "Your body may have changed, but I'd recognize that mischievous smile anywhere." He said, grin on his face. "Alright, I'm convinced." He said, his hands raised in surrender.

"Good, now that we have that out of the way time for the presents."

"Eh?" once again Aoi was stumped as the elderly man held out his hand. "Oh come on now." Nurarihyon said. "You've been gone for centuries! Don't tell me you didn't bring any gifts?"

"Wha – of course I did!" Aoi said, red tinting his cheeks again, before swiftly standing up and turning away.

"Oi, where are you going?" Nurarihyon said.

"I'm calling my servants." The idol said, storming off. Out of curiosity, Tsurara, Nurarihyon and the rest followed after the fuming idol and surprisingly ended up in the garden. Standing in front of the small lake, Aoi still had that small pout on his face, but he soon wiped that away as he put his thumb and forefinger in his mouth. A sharp whistle elicited from his lips and soon fireballs started to fill the dark garden. The yokai who weren't present in Aoi's and Nurarihyon's meeting were all peeking out through their doors and windows and upon seeing the fireballs they cried in alarm.

"What the - "

"Are we under attack?"

"Relax." Aoi said, catching all the yokai's attention. "These are my servants." He said then with a snap of his fingers, the fireballs, all gathered around him. There was a popping noise and the fireballs turned into…!

"Aoi-sama!" a chorus of voices shouted.

"Are those children?!" Rikuo said in disbelief. Indeed, the fireballs that had appeared out of nowhere had now transformed into small, toddler-sized children. They ran around the garden in their bare feet while their yukatas making this swishing sound as they moved about. Their laughter echoed all throughout the garden as the others stared on in shock.

"Alright, that's enough fooling around now." Aoi said, clapping his hands to get their attention. "Did you guys do what I asked?"

"Hai!" they all cheered. Most of the boys in the group disappeared into smoke, only to reappear a second later carrying a long wooden platform with various gifts on top. It was a surreal sight, truth be told, to see little children being able to lift that many baggage, but then again they did have the ability to fly. Once their feet made it unto ground, they set the platform unto the ground in front of Nurarihyon and his family. Said man himself actually looked pleased at the amount of gifts he received as he picked up and examined one of the sake bottles on the pile. "Is this what I think it is?" the old man said, excitement lacing his voice as he rubbed his chin in appreciation.

"Yep, it's the same sake that we used to drink together as a family. You have no idea how hard it was to get that guy to make this many, so you better appreciate it." Aoi said.

"Oh, I will." Nurarihyon assured, as he was quick to open one bottle and took a swig.

In the background, Tsurara was still stunned from the series of events that she had a hard time keeping up. Just who was this stranger and what was he doing in their house? And more importantly, why did he look familiar? She was sure that she hadn't met him before, so why was there this nagging feeling in the back of her mind. And the way that he looked at her…that was also strange. She was soon brought out of her musings when tiny hands tugged at her clothes and looking down, she saw that one of the children had approached her.

"Carry me!" a black-haired girl who looked to be of five said, as she raised her hands. Tsurara couldn't help it, she squealed. Children were always her weak point. "What a cute child!" Tsurara gushed, as she did what the child asked. Said child screamed in delight, as she hugged the yuki-onna back.

"Careful." Aoi said, breaking the yuki-onna from her haze as he approached. A little girl with brown hair was being carried in his arms while a boy with sandy hair clutched at his shoulders. "Despite their angelic faces, they're actually little demons in disguise. If you're not careful they'll take advantage of you."

"Aoi-sama!" the little girl in Tsurara's arms cried indignantly as she tried to put her hands on hips, while pouting at the guest. "What? It's true isn't it?" Aoi countered, with a laugh.

"Wait, Aoi…?" Tsurara murmured as the name rang a bell. Then it came to her. "Ah! You're Miyamoto Aoi, the idol that everyone's been talking about. You're a yokai!?" she exclaimed.

"Hard to believe I know." The idol said sheepishly as he rubbed his head. In the background, neither of the two noticed the pair of red eyes that seemed to glare at them in the distance.

"Waka?" Kurotabou inquired as he saw the young master walk past him.

"I'm feeling a bit tired now so I'm going to head in." was all he said before heading towards his room. The black monk didn't say anything as he realized that it _was_ late and so he decided to call it a night too. Besides, a lot of the spectating yokai had gone back inside now that the excitement has died down.

"Ah! Shinji do _not_ lick that!" Aoi shouted sternly as he caught one of the children about to lick a light bulb. "That is an electric lamp and you could get hurt!"

"Lamps?" Nurarihyon said, as he caught on to what Aoi said and something sort of clicked. "Ah, I see. These kids are Abura Akago, am I right?"

"Yeah, I sort of stopped by the Omi province when I first came back to Japan and stumbled upon these guys. I decided then and there to take them with me." Aoi said. "Word of advice, _never_ let these kids anywhere near the kitchen. They'll steal all the oil and snacks you guys have."

"Noted." Kejoro said, as she too had a child in her arms and another tangled in her hair.

"Well, now that we have that sorted out, why don't you guys take these gifts and put them where they belong." Nurarihyon ordered, and some of the minor yokai were quick to comply. With the excitement gone and most of the others had left to sleep, the main house has gone quiet. "Say Aoi, how long will you be staying?" the old master asked.

"Honestly I don't know." The idol said. "I kinda made this on the spot, so I haven't really contacted my manager to let him know when I want to start working again."

"Your manager?" Nurarihyon repeated, looking perplexed.

"Ah, that's right. I haven't told you what my job is." Aou said with a laugh. "Right now, I'm working as a singer in the human world."

"A singer you say." Nurarihyon said in surprise with his brow raised.

"Yep," The idol said, red tainting his cheeks again as he looked a bit embarrassed at sharing this tidbit. "Though, I just started recently so I'm not that well known yet."

"Seems like we have a lot to talk about after all." Nurarihyon remarked. "But since you're here, you can stay in the house for as long as you like. Come on then. The night is still young, let's take this up in my room." he said, turning around and gesturing for the other to follow him. Aoi did, but not before giving out orders to his servants. "Kids, behave while I'm gone alright." He said.

"Hai!" they chorused again, waving their hands as their master went with the former lord of yokais. Now that Tsurara and the rest of the staff were left alone, they were left with the task of settling the kids in. "Ah…where are we gonna place them?" the yuki-onna said as she took in the amount of children still milling about.

"We still have some spare rooms and some futons." Kejoro said, as she mentally calculated the amount of sheets, pillows and futons needed. "Since they're all young, they could probably share."

"That's a good idea." Tsurara agreed, and together, both females went to work in herding the children to their rooms.

* * *

Three hours later, the main house of the strongest yokai clan was quiet once more as most of the residents have gone to sleep. The only ones awake were those on guard duty, and of course the former Lord of Pandemonium and his guest. It was late, but neither men felt the need for sleep yet. Too immersed were they reminiscing about their past that time seemed to stop still for a moment. Sake bottles and random snacks littered the space between them as the two spent the last few hours talking to one another until they had nothing left to talk about. A companionable silence followed them as they spent the next few minutes just watching the moon, though even though he didn't show it, Aoi was restless. Especially with the encounter of that girl

"I'm surprised."Aoi said, breaking the silence. "I never took you to be the sentimental type."

"Hmm?" Nurarihyon hummed, while taking a sip from his sakazuki. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about that girl, that yuki-onna, am I right?" Aoi said.

"Ah, you mean Tsurara." Nurarihyon said in understanding. "I wasn't the one who took her in; my son did, though her mother did work under me. She's reliable, just like her mother, and now she's works under my grandson."

"Tsurara huh? That's a pretty name." Aoi commented. "You know when I first saw her; I thought I was seeing things."

"What kind of things?" Nurarihyon asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Like I was seeing _her,_ instead." Aoi said quietly, refusing to meet his eyes. Nurarihyon didn't say anything at first; instead he took another sip from his cup before regarding the other with a level stare. "I know what you mean." he said, his voice equally subdued. "When I first met Setsura, Tsurara's mother, I was also taken aback by the semblance. She was young, but I knew that in a few years she would be the spitting image of that person, if you ignore the color of her eyes that is. However the semblance ended there. Setsura was…too flirtatious, the total opposite of the Lady. It made it easier to think that she wasn't the same person."

"So you're saying that Tsurara is also like that?"

"No." Nurarihyon was quick to answer. "Tsurara is an angel compared to her mother, but that doesn't mean anything. Nobody can replace the Lady, you know that Aoi."

"I know." Aoi said, quietly.

"Good." Nurarihyon said, and that left no room for argument, though he felt more than saw, the unease that was surrounding his companion. "I get the feeling that there's more you're not telling me." he said.

Aoi chuckled, though there was a resigned tone to it. "Nothing gets past you, is there?" he said. Leaning back, the aosagibi sighed. "Alright," he said. "I admit, I've been feeling a bit uneasy lately."

"And why is that?" Nurarihyon asked.

"You've watched the news, right?" Aoi asked, this time his voice serious.

"What about it?" the older yokai said, brow raised.

"I heard that Mount Fuji has been showing a lot of activity again." he answered. Nurarihyon's eyes widened at this, before narrowing. "And so? That volcano has shown signs of erupting plenty of times before, but it never did. What makes you think this is any different? "

"Because it went longer than usual." Aoi persisted, "The earthquakes and the smoke rising from it, it just keeps going. What if…what if _he's _waking up?"

"Aoi," Nurarihyon sighed. "If we work ourselves to a fit for every rumble Fuji emits, we won't be able to live peacefully. Do you think that the Lady would have wanted that for us?"

"No, but this is different!" Aoi said his voice louder, but not enough to catch attention. "People are being murdered. All of them burnt to a crisp, now who does that remind you of?"

"That person is dead?" Nurarihyon said.

"Are you sure? 'cause last I remember we didn't actually check now did we?" Aoi countered.

"What are you trying to say Aoi?"

"I'm not trying to say anything." Aoi said, a bit defensively. "It's just that…I'm not the only one who thinks this way."

"What do you mean?" Nurarihyon asked. "Have you been in contact with the others?"

"Just one and he only contacted me recently." It was then that Aoi shifted a bit and took something out from his jacket. "He also gave me this."

"That's…" Nurarihyon trailed off upon seeing the scroll in the other's hand.

"An invitation." He answered. "It's almost that time of year after all, so he's inviting us to come. Your family is included if you want, and while we enjoy the festivities, he wants us to check on the seal while we're at it."

"I see." Nurarihyon murmured. "Well, it has been awhile since I last seen that old prick. Tell me, does he still have stick shoved in his ass?"

At that, Aoi couldn't help but laugh, a genuine one this time as he held his side when the cramps started to kick in. "You just have to see for yourself."

"I suppose I will then." Nurarihyon grinned as he took the scroll in his hands.

Nobody knew it at that time, but, by accepting that simple invitation the gears of fate started turning and soon, the entire clan was about to be turned upside down once more.

* * *

**Yokai stuff:**

Aosagibi – literally translates to "Blue Heron Fire" or just "Blue Heron". Just like regular herons, they can be mostly seen in wetlands and rivers and that they are nocturnal creatures. However they retain their shyness even when transformed into yokais. At night, especially during the fall season, their bodies radiate a bluish glow and their beaks emit this yellow powder. When threatened, the yellow powder is turned into fireballs; however they don't contain any heat or ignite anything. So it's mostly used as scare tactics. So yeah, in this story I made Aoi humanoid because I thought it would make things interesting and also because Shiibashi Hiroshi made Itaku humanoid too.

Abura Akago – literally translate to "Oil Baby". They mostly appear as fireballs floating aimlessly in the sky, but once they enter a house they transform into babies, or small children. Once in this form, they will lick all the oil away from the lamps and paper lanterns before moving unto the next house. Their origins is that they all used to be oil thieves when they were still human, and since back oil was hard to process back then, stealing it was considered a serious crime. So as punishment, the thieves were transformed into yokai upon their death instead of moving unto the next life. So yeah, since they're also fireballs, I thought they would make the perfect servants for Aoi.

**author's note: this chapter is a bit short i know, but i wanted to focus on the Aoi's introduction first, so there. anyways, things will start to pick up on the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 4: Preparations

**Chapter Four: Preparations **

_The next day…._

Rikuo couldn't help but sigh in relief as morning classes finally ended and lunch break began. There were dark circles underneath his eyes as he slumped in his seat, his head resting over his arms for some much needed sleep. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't relax. His mind was just jumbled up with all the recent events that he almost had a hard time adjusting. Last night was so hectic to say the least, and not to mention his grandfather just had to make that announcement.

Flashback:

_"__Is everyone here? Good." Nurarihyon said, while nodding his head in approval._

_"__Oi ji-chan, why did you have to wake the whole house up?" a tired Rikuo said. A few of the other yokai also nodded in agreement. It was five in the morning, way too early for anyone to be awake and yet the sound of pots and pans clanging around the house was enough to wake everyone up. Rikuo and the others had clambered out of their rooms only to see that Aoi's minions, the Abura Akago, running around carrying said objects like they were toys. Once the children noticed that everyone was awake they told Rikuo and the rest to go the dining hall because their master and the former Lord of Spirits were waiting for them. Upon arriving, they saw Nurarihyon sitting at the head of the room with Aoi next to him. Both men were still dressed in the clothes they wore yesterday and some bottles of sake littered around them._

_ "__Shut up you ungrateful brat!" Nurarihyon said, but was cut off by Aoi. "Sorry for the rude the wake-up call," Aoi said in apology, as he tugged one of the children into his lap. "These guys were under my orders."_

_"__Is that so? So why wake us up?" Rikuo asked, even though he was a friend of his grandpa, he was still wary of him. "Personally, I wanted to wait till later, but your grandfather was just too excited." He answered, gesturing for the old man to continue. _

_ "__Listen up everyone! I've got an announcement to make." Nurarihyon said while standing up with a gleam in his eyes. "I've noticed that you guys have been working hard lately and I can see that some of you have been dead tired as of late. So to reward you I've decided that we should all take a vacation somewhere."_

_"__Eh!? Seriously!"_

_"__Nurarihyon-sama you're the best!"_

_"__It's been awhile since our last outing, I can't wait!"_

_Hand stroking his chin, Nurarihyon couldn't help nodding in approval at his subordinate's enthusiasm. "Glad to see you're all excited." He said. "An old friend of mine had decided to invite me to his home and said the entire family is welcome."_

_"__By old friend you mean…?" Rikuo started, looking at Ao, but the idol shook his head. "Oh no, not me, I'm just the messenger, but I will come with you guys on the trip." The blue-haired man said. _

_"__The place we're going to is a collection of small islands that houses all sorts of yokai, but the one we're headed is called Nishino-Shima. It's a small island, but big enough to hold a village. My friend lives there along with his subordinates and together they run a business where ayakashi can eat and relax, kinda like a resort." _

_"__Wait…isn't Nishino-shima part of the Volcano islands?" Rikuo said. "How can someone live there? And I don't remember it being large enough to hold a village."_

_"__Didn't you learn anything from your time in Tono?" Nurarihyon rebuked. "The whole islands are covered in Fear, so to human's eyes it really is no bigger than what your teachers in schools tell you. But once you bypass that Fear, you'll see that it's bigger than it looks…if you ignore the fact that each island has a volcano that is. But it's still a great tourist attraction and yokai from all over Japan go there to relax."_

_"__Ano…Nurarihyon-sama, the place you're referring to, is it by any chance the Snake's Garden?" one of the weaker yokai asked._

_"__Yes, it is." The old man replied. "My old friend is actually the owner of the place."_

_"__Wait, Snake's Garden? As in _that_ Snake's Garden!? I heard that it's almost impossible to get there."_

_"__Yeah, you need an invitation to be able to enter there, which Nurarihyon-sama already has."_

_"__Yahoo! This is awesome!"_

_Soon, any signs of sleepiness immediately faded away as the prospect of going to vacation came into each member's heads. Excited chatter filled the room as everyone started talking at once about what they were gonna do once they were on the island and started making plans on what to bring. "Um, hey guys…?" Rikuo started, but nobody paid him any attention. "Don't we have still have work to do." he tried again. _

_"__So it's settled then! We'll be leaving in three days get your stuff ready 'cause we're staying there for the duration of Golden Week." The young master knew he lost the fight even before it began and could only sigh in defeat. Returning to his room, Rikuo decided some more sleep should help. God knows just how much he didn't want to deal with his grandfather's antics so early in the morning. But before he could leave someone stopped him._

_"__Rikuo-kun." Aoi called, surprising the other with the use of honorifics. "I heard from your grandfather that you have human friends that understand what you are. It was those girls from yesterday wasn't it?" he asked. Rikuo didn't know where this was going but nodded regardless. "That's amazing! It's rare to find humans like that. In any case since it seems that they accept us you're free to invite them as well. Most of the yokai staying there are harmless so I can assure you that they'll be safe."_

_"__Ah ok. I'll let them know. _

End of Flashback

"Stupid jii-chan." He grumbled. Turns out, going to his room was futile as everyone in the household was too busy rummaging around getting ready for the trip. In the end, he didn't get a wink of sleep and he was in a pretty bad mood by the time he was called for breakfast. It didn't help that Aoi stole his spot at the dining hall. As annoyed as he was, he didn't have enough energy to tell the guy to move away, and instead ate in a different spot. During the course of breakfast, Rikuo couldn't help but sneak a look at the older man every once in a while and frown. He didn't know why, but somehow the guy got on his nerves. He didn't know if it was because of the first meeting when the older man treated him like a kid or the total mood switch when he found out he was Nurarihyon's grandson. One thing for sure though was that he couldn't trust him. It didn't matter if he was his grandfather's friend or not but in just one night he's shown so many sides to himself that it was hard to tell which is the real him. One moment he was this cool and confident person, and then next a petulant child in front of his grandfather and now a happy-go-lucky comedian as he told a story to a bunch of minor yokai gathered around him. It was just strange how a total stranger could manage to charm everyone in such a short while. Or maybe it had something to do with being an idol or the fact that he delivered the invitation, either way he was gonna keep an eye on him. Whichever the case, Rikuo couldn't bring himself to like the man.

"Hey, did you watch the news this morning?"

"Yeah, it was scary."

Rikuo's eyes snapped open at that. He was still hunched over his seat, but not wanting to appear like a creep, he pretended to be asleep as he listened in on his classmates. "The news reporter said that ten bodies were found this time all of them burnt to a crisp. Can you believe that? Ten bodies and nobody even noticed a thing; I mean how can that happen?"

"I know what you mean. My parents actually ordered me to come straight home after school."

"I'm not surprised. If this keeps up we all might end up having curfews." Rikuo's eyes narrowed at that. He was well aware of the recent deaths as it was shown on the news this morning. It was the main reason why he was against the trip but was too tired to bring it up for the lack of sleep and the stress. His grandfather didn't seem too concerned though and assured everyone that whoever was doing the killings was probably gone by now. Of course, Rikuo still had his doubts, but from what was seen so far the killer does leave the vicinity after every murder. So they probably lost any chance of catching the guy and also it puts Aoi in the clear since the murder happened when he was at their house already.

"Ano…Rikuo-kun?"

Startled by the close proximity, Rikuo sat up and saw Kana standing not too far away from him. The rest of his friends were nearby, as for once their seating arrangement allowed them to do so. "Ah, Kana-chan, you need something?" He asked. "Are you alright?" she asked in return, her expression concerned.

"Yes, what made you ask that?" he said.

"Your face is pale and there are dark circles under your eyes." she said.

"Ah that, well let's just say that things were a bit hectic last night so I didn't get enough sleep." He answered.

"Is it…because of the recent string of murders?" she asked, almost hesitatingly.

"About that, I've been meaning to ask you the same thing Rikuo-kun." Kiyotsugu said, butting in once he heard where the conversation was going, Shima not too far behind. "The whole town is going into panic and not even my own database can tell me what kind of yokai we're dealing with."

"Hey aren't you jumping to conclusions?" Kana said. "What if it's just humans? Like terrorists, that's what the media is saying."

"I'm definitely sure that it's yokai." Kiyotsugu said, confidently. "The police reports said that the murders occurred right where the victims were standing. Scorch marks in the crime scene suggested that they were burned right on the spot, which is highly impossible for a human to do. I did my research and apparently burning a body like that takes a lot of time and not to mention that it should have garnered attention. Seeing as all the previous murders were done in public places, this one being no different and yet ten bodies were found and all of it in downtown, the busiest part of the city and still nobody noticed a thing. And while attacking in public places is a common MO for terrorists this one seems too focused and random at the same time."

"What do you mean by that?" Toru asked. Normally she and Maki would've ignored whatever their club leader said, seeing as he's the resident conspiracy theorist next to being a yokai fanatic, but right now he was being too serious that it was scary. It was enough to garner everyone's attention. "Terrorists use extreme violence and fear to try and sway the public to their cause and to do so they meticulously plan large scale attacks in public areas that have significance. However in this case, the murders were done at a time when nobody was around and the burnings which should have caught the surrounding area on fire was focused into one spot. Not to mention that the timing of the murders is too haphazard. I just can't see any pattern to this. It's like what the original report said: The killer is travelling on foot while the victims were just in the wrong place and time."

"Wow, you really know your stuff." Tori said, awed, but Maki was less impressed. "Yes that's amazing and all, but how did you know all this stuff? I mean I watched the news too and they didn't mention any of that."

"Easy, I hacked into the police files." Kiyotsugu said,

"You what?" she asked incredulously.

"Anyways, that's not the point here." He said, changing the subject. "Whatever this yokai is it can't be normal because nothing in my database says otherwise. I mean, blackened teeth, brittle bones and coal-like skin…it's like whoever did this wanted to completely destroy the other. I can't help saying this but even I'm getting scared." Hearing his admission made the entire group go silent. It was just too surreal, seeing their usually fearless leader becoming afraid, by a yokai no less.

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer that." Rikuo said, breaking the silence. "Truth is my family went patrolling last night once we heard about the killings, but we couldn't find anything. There weren't any rumors of a new yokai coming into town and we weren't even sure if it_ was_ a yokai, we just assumed it was."

"Wait what about Miyamoto-sama?" Tori asked.

"The idol? What does he have anything to do with this?" Shima asked.

"We ran into him last night." Maki explained and then had this dreamy look on her face. "And by gods the experience was just so magical."

"I know right." Tori exclaimed with an equally dreamy look. "We were surrounded by these thugs and he just came in and saved us! It was just so amazing! It was like he was a hero!"

"Are these girls alright?" Shima couldn't help asking, his thumb pointed at them as the said females were off in their own little world. A pink atmosphere surrounding them and sparkles everywhere. "Actually what they're saying is true." Rikuo, sweat-dropped. "I was there when it happened."

"Ok, but seriously, what does that have anything to do with this?" Shima said.

"I concur." Kiyotsugu said. "We were having a serious discussion and that was way too off topic."

"Ah, hehehe…" Rikuo laughed nervously. "Remember when I said that there weren't any new yokai in town, well that wasn't entirely true. There were rumors, but it just turned out to be Aoi."

"Wait, are you telling me that Miyamoto Aoi, the _celebrity_ is a yokai?!" he asked in disbelief. "Seriously!" Shima exclaimed.

"Yeah, he actually showed his true form last night." Rikuo explained. "And now he's staying with us actually."

"For real!" both Maki and Tori squealed, getting right up to his face once they heard the last part. "But wait, why is he staying at your house?" Tori, the much more sensible of the two asked. "Ah, well, you see it turns out that he's an old friend of my grandfather's so he's busy catching up with him."

"Lucky!" Maki screamed. "That means we can visit him anytime we want!" she cried as both she and Tori clasped their hands together.

"Did you forget the fact that he's a yokai?" Shima said.

"So what, that makes him even cooler!" Tori countered.

Rikuo sighed as his friends started of bickering. Once they began there was just no stopping it. He learned his lesson a long time ago. Speaking of which, Rikuo remembered what Aoi told him that morning. "Actually he's not planning to stay long." He interjected, causing the two girls to look at him aghast. "Eeehhh!" they whined. Rikuo just shrugged. "It can't be helped, he's still working and apparently he had an ulterior motive for wanting to meet with my grandfather."

"What do you mean?" Kiyotsugu asked.

"He invited my family to come to this island resort thing made just for yokai. And of course, another of my grandfather's friends is the owner of that place."

"An island filled with yokai!" it was Kiyotsugu's turn now to scream with sparkles filling his eyes. Good thing there wasn't that much people in the classroom, "Ano, is it possible if I could come with?" he all but pleaded.

"Of course you can." Rikuo smiled. "In fact, you're all invited. Aoi-san gave the ok."

"Yes! We can spend more time with him!" Maki squealed as both she and Tori high-fived.

"When will this be?" Shima asked.

"The entire golden week." He answered.

"Alright! I'll start packing my stuff and cancel all the appointments next week." Kiyotsugu said, his chest filling up with excitement with the thoughts of all the yokai he could meet.

"Ah, it's a shame Yura can't come." Kana commented as few moments later.

"Now that you mention it, she hasn't been in contact has she?" Kiyotsugu said, snapping out of his haze. "What about you Rikuo?"

"The last I heard from her was over a month ago." Rikuo said. "Something about how her training was getting more intense and that she was going to be busy for a while."

"That can't be helped I guess." Tori said, a little sad seeing as they were starting to miss their friend. "Is Tsurara coming as well?" she asked.

"Of course she is. What makes you say that?" Rikuo asked.

"Well Yura isn't the only one being AWOL" Maki answered. "Lately Tsurara's been going home earlier than everybody saying that she's got stuff to do. But if you saw the look in her eyes you would think that she's going on a date or something."

"Are you serious?" Shima said, still nursing a crush on the yuki-onna.

"Yeah, you should see her. I mean she always glances at the clock whenever classes are almost over, as though she can't wait for it to be done and she's the first one out when dismissal comes." Tori explained.

"And in case you guys haven't noticed Tsurara already left," Maki then pointed out, surprising the group that indeed, Tsurara's belongings weren't in her table anymore. The rest of the period was just study hall, so students were free to leave early. The only reason why they didn't is because their homeroom teacher said that he was going to announce some stuff before the start of Golden Week. "I'm telling you she probably has a boyfriend."

"Is this true!" Shima cried, turning to Rikuo for answers who only shrugged. "This is the first time I heard about this." He said, and it was true. But now that he thought about it, he hasn't seen the yuki-onna lately. Usually the girl would tag along on his after schools duties or at least come by to either check up on him or walk home together. However he hadn't heard anything from her in the past few days and the only time that he did saw her was at home. Were they right? Was she seeing someone? As soon as that thought crossed his mind a picture of Aoi together with Tsurara popped up, but he quickly dismissed it. They only met him last night so it was impossible that it was him…however it didn't stop the sinking feeling in his chest.

"I'm sure Tsurara has her reasons." Rikuo said. "After all she has other duties to attend to, so whatever it is, I'm certain that she'll tell us eventually."

"I hope you're right, because I can't stand the thought of Tsurara liking someone else." Shima said, his hands gripping in distress.

_"__Liking someone else huh…?"_ Rikuo thought.

* * *

"Excuse me, how much are these apples?" Tsurara asked, pointing to said fruits. Their shiny red skins were what caught the yuki-onna's attention the most as she passed through the market and decided to buy some on a whim. Not because it reminded her of someone.

"They're ten yen each." The lady replied. She was a kindly lady, middle-aged and a bit on the chubby side. She waited patiently for Tsurara to pick her apples and reached out for them once she was done. "That'll be sixty yen." The lady said, after she bagged the fruits.

"Thank you!" Tsurara smiled, hugging the bag to her chest. After she was done paying yuki-onna walked away from the vendor and started down the familiar path towards the park. It was still early in the afternoon, way too early for any high schooler to be out but Tsurara didn't care. She did receive a few wondering and disapproving stares as she walked along, but she paid them no mind. The sky was clear and the weather was just fine, perfect to spend some time in the park. Speaking of which, Tsurara stopped in her tracks. _"I'll be gone for an entire week."_ She thought. She didn't know why it affected her so, but she was gonna miss the guy. _"I need to let him know. Hopefully this is a good enough gift." _With that thought in mind, Tsurara nodded in determination and marched her way to the park. A few minutes later, Tsurara peeked into the park and sure enough Aka-san was there. She brightened up once she saw him and came bounding right up to him. "Aka-san!" she called.

"Hello." He greeted, once she was near. "Isn't it a bit too early for you to be out?"

"School ended early today." She explained, and then handed over the paper bag. "Here."

"What's this?" he asked, yet took it nonetheless.

"They're apples." Tsurara said, taking a seat on her usual spot on the bench. "I thought that since you always shared your food with me I should do the same for once."

"Thank you." he said, smiling a bit as he placed the bag on his lap. He then adjusted his position so that he was seating right next to her. Usually it would have taken him some time and effort to do just that, but as days passed he seemed to get better and better. He was starting to move more fluidly lately and with more energy, however he was still seated in a wheelchair. Tsurara wondered when he was gonna walk again, if ever, but she didn't dare ask. As much as she liked to think that they were becoming good friends there was just somethings you shouldn't cross just yet, she decided. Wordlessly, he handed her an apple which she took and bit into it, enjoying the freshness of the fruit. Aka-san took one as well and started eating, soon they descended into a peaceful quiet.

Since the day was still young, Tsurara took her time finishing the apple. The sun was high since it was the early afternoon, but the tree next to them offered the perfect shade and the air was cool. Tsurara couldn't help but sigh in contentment as she finished her apple and leaned back on the bench feeling sleepy. The temptation to close her eyes was strong but she resisted because it was rude to sleep on her companion and that she was in a public place. Although she was pretty sure that Aka-san wouldn't mind. Speaking of which, the older man was still eating.

"Say Aka-san...how old are you?" she started.

For the first time ever, he looked surprised. The usually stoic man turned to her with his eyes slightly widened and eyebrows raised. Tsurara silently praised herself for being able to accomplish that. "What brought this on?" he asked.

"Nothing really," she shrugged. "I've just been wondering that's all."

"Why don't take a guess?" he said, a ghost of a smile on his face.

At that, Tsurara couldn't help but pout at him. "Mou, if you don't want to tell me you could just say so. And here I thought that only women were sensitive to their age." She mumbled the last part. Unfortunately for her, Aka-san heard it and laughed, well, more like chuckled but it was enough to shock the yuki-onna. He was showing more expression than he usually did. Upon seeing her expression he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Something the matter?" he asked, bringing her out of her stupor.

"An nothing, it's just you're full of surprises today." She said.

"The same could be said to you." he countered. "You didn't have to feel obligated to buy me apples."

"But I wanted to." Tsurara hurriedly said.

"Oh? You're sure it's not for a bribe or something." He said it as a joke, but he couldn't help but notice the flinch the girl showed. "Was I correct?" he said, almost disbelievingly.

"Ah ha ha ha…" Tsurara laughed awkwardly as she rubbed her head. "Actually there's reason why I looked for you." she said.

"And what's that?" he asked.

"Well…my family is planning on going on a trip. So I won't be here for an entire week." She said.

"Ah is that so…" he said thoughtfully. Something in his voice caught her attention and when she turned to look at him he seemed like he was contemplating something. "I also have something to tell you." he said. Tsurara faced him completely then, her full attention on him as she uncharacteristically felt nervous. "This is my last day here." He finally said.

"Eh?"

"My caretakers has decided to move me it seems." He continued. "Even though I told them I was getting better, they insisted that I go to this place so that my recovery would speed up. I wanted to tell you first before leaving, so I've been waiting in this park since morning."

It took a while before his words registered, and when it did Tsurara couldn't stop the overwhelming sadness that creeped over her. It felt like a hole was ripped through her chest, making her feel hollow inside. It was strange, she thought, she barely knew the man and yet she was already missing him. "Oh…" She finally said, looking down. "So I guess this is goodbye huh?" she said, both her face and voice showed nothing of what she was feeling and for that she was grateful.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"What for?" she asked, looking at him again, "It's not like you have any obligation towards me, and you need to take care of your health. There's no need for you to apologize."

"Perhaps you're right, but even so…I'm going to miss you." he said, surprising the yuki-onna. "In the short amount of time that we spent together, I grew fond of you and these conversations we share. They were relaxing to say the least, and it helped me in more ways one."

To say that yuki-onna was stunned was an understatement. This guy who was normally apathetic about everything was actually confessing that he was going to miss her. It was flattering in a way, and she was glad that she wasn't the only one feeling this way. "Well, I'm glad that I managed to help you in some way." Tsurara said then stood up. She didn't know how much more of this she could take and she needed to run fast.

"Just one more thing," Aka-san said, stopping the girl in her tracks. Tsurara waited. She didn't know what she to expect since Aka-san seemed to be struggling and she belatedly realized that he was trying to stand up. She took a step forward, fully intent to help him but it seemed like he managed on his own, albeit with difficulty. With shaking hands he was holding unto the arms of his wheelchair with steel grip as he smiled at her tiredly, but with triumph.

"You're standing!" Tsurara shouted, with both joy and shock.

"Yes I am." He said. "The first few days since my awakening, my caretakers have been trying to get me to walk again, but it pained me and tired me out so easily, that I gave up halfway. Meeting you though gave me enough motivation to start again."

"I didn't do anything special." Tsurara said, flustered as she waved her hands about.

"Quite the contrary actually." He said, causing the girl to be even more embarrassed. He laughed at her blushing face. "Mou! What's so funny!" the yuki-onna cried.

"Nothing, I just found your face endearing that's all."

"You can't just say stuff like that in public!" Tsurara cried even more, steam coming through her ears due to embarrassment.

"Ah yes, I really am going to miss this." He said, and then the entire mood shifted again into a somber one. All traces of mortification were gone in an instant as the yuki-onna remembered what was going to happen next. "Hey, since you're leaving don't you think it's about time you told me your name?" she asked, looking at the ground as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. However, before she could dwell on anything she felt fingers wrapping around her chin and her face was lifted up until she came eye to eye with him.

"There's no reason for you to be sad." He said, his fiery eyes boring into her soul.

"I know," Tsurara said quietly, looking away while she was at it. "But somehow I can't help it." the next thing she knew, she was being engulfed in an embrace. It was so unexpected that Tsurara was momentarily paralyzed, but she relaxed. It was actually quite comforting to be in his arms. They were big and strong and radiated so much warmth, she felt protected from the world. And what was strange was that it felt all so familiar…

Yuki-onna's eyes snapped opened at that surprised that she even closed them in the first place. What the heck? As far she was concerned nobody, not even Waka hugged her like that. Well maybe her mother, but her embrace was cold as was expected from all yuki-onna. Yet even with this revelation she still didn't move from her spot. Aka-san didn't remove his arms either and he didn't even notice the inner turmoil the girl was going through. "How about this?" the man said, breaking the girl out of her thoughts. "The next time we see each other, I'll tell you my name then."

It was a promise, a promise that they would meet again.

And just like that Tsurara felt herself relaxing again. "Okay." She murmured, before burying her face into his chest.

* * *

It's been three hours since then.

Tsurara sighed as she walked aimlessly through the market place, a black cloud over her head. Her one piece of solace was gone and now she had nothing left to look forward to. Despite how it felt, the hug didn't last long before Aka-san had to sit down again. He was a pale and shaking due to the effort but he assured her that he was okay. It wasn't long after that that one of Aka-san's caretakers came looking for him. Wearing the traditional uniform of nurses found in hospitals the young man wordlessly took hold of the handlebars and slowly steered the man away, but not without throwing a vicious glare at the yuki-onna. To say that Tsurara was surprised was an understatement, but she didn't say anything as Aka-san bid farewell to her. The caretaker still didn't say anything to her, but continued to glare at her, the red tattoo on his face making it even more intimidating.

The memory did nothing but to make her feel even more depressed, which was strange. She only knew the man for a week, heck she didn't even know his real name and yet she missed him already. Just how weird is that? It was like she was under some sort of spell or something. Tsurara just sighed at that. By now all the other schools were starting to let out and now the streets were slowly being filled with students, but even so Tsurara didn't want to go home yet. Home meant that she would have to do nothing but chores; home meant that she would endure awkward moments with Waka; home was where things had gone dull and monotonous.

She didn't want that.

Looking up at the sky, Tsurara couldn't help the sigh of melancholy slipping through her lips. Again, this was another thing she thought strange. She used to enjoy doing housework, especially cooking and being with the people she cared about, but now things were different. It all changed when the Shikoku yokai challenged them and things just escalated from there. Was it because of the constant excitement, the anticipation and the fear that brought about the changes in her? But then how can that be? She's been in tons of fights before, and none of them affected her this much. Then again, none of them happened in rapid sequence. So was it because of the peacefulness? It's already quite obvious to everyone that yuki-onna wasn't that into fighting, but even so she was still a yokai meaning she still had a penchant for mischief. But then peace had never bothered her this much. She could go on for years, decades even, without feeling the itch to do some mayhem. Take Rihan-sama's reign for example -

Tsurara stopped suddenly and shook her head. She hadn't thought about that man in years, so why should she start now. Suddenly feeling irritated with herself, Tsurara decided to go home. She already wasted enough time as it is, and the others probably started making dinner. At the thought of that task (making dinner for hundreds of yokai every night is no easy feat) yuki-onna couldn't help but groan and looked at the sky once more.

_"__I wished for change and it did, but now that person is going somewhere far away and I'm back to this mediocre cycle." _She thought. Sighing, she looked away from the sky and was about to continue on her way but stopped when the door of the shop in front of her suddenly opened. Another step closer, and she would have had her face slammed on it glass panes.

"Oh! Sorry did I hit you?" the guy who opened the door said once he noticed her. "Ara? Tsurara-chan?"

"Huh?" said girl said in surprise as she looked up and saw that it was Ao. He was wearing different clothes this time, drabber than the ones before, but it did nothing to quell his good looks. The only difference though was that he wore a hat while his hair was tied back in a short ponytail. "I thought it was you." the idol greeted, smiling. He then stepped away from the door and let it close by itself. It was then that Tsurara noticed that the shop he came out from was actually a sweetshop and that he had several bags of candies, chocolate and other unhealthy snacks in his arms.

"That's…a lot of candies." Tsurara commented.

"Yeah…I know." He said sheepishly. "But it's not for me!" he said quickly, waving his hands about. "I don't like sweets, actually I do, but I don't eat a lot of it! It's for the kids you see. Night is coming soon so they're gonna be hungry when they wake up."

"Oh I see, how considerate of you." Tsurara said. "But won't it be better if we wait till dinner? Their appetites will be ruined otherwise."

"Actually this is breakfast for them." Ao said, scratching his cheek.

"Eh?" she said. "You mean to say that they've been sleeping the entire day!?" she said, incredulously.

"Pretty much," the other said nonchalantly. "Hey since we gonna end up in the same place lets walk together."

"Eh? Ah, o-kay." The yuki-onna said, still a bit shocked, but she followed after him until they were side by side. "Anyways, as I was saying those little rascals are nocturnal. You can't wake them up at all unless it's nighttime. And of course if it's an emergency, but either way taking on a sea serpent is an easier task than rousing those tykes from slumber."

"And the snacks?" Yuki-onna inquired.

"Well, they're oil babies." Ao said, as though it was obvious. "They don't eat anything unless it's extremely oily, which is gross, or unless it's just oil, which is worse. Fortunately I found that junk food is another alternative, so here I am."

"It's nice of you to buys food for them." Tsurara said.

"It's nothing." Ao said, smiling a bit, while he shifted his hold on the bags. "The snacks here don't cost much and there's a convenience store in every corner. So now I don't have to wait in longs lines and have people stare at me weirdly in the supermarket anymore."

"Ah that's right, you weren't living in Japan till recently, right?" Tsurara asked.

"That's right." Ao confirmed.

"May I ask why? I mean, it's quite rare for yokai to actually leave the country."

"My, you're such a polite yokai aren't you?" the idol said laughing, causing the yuki-onna to blush. "Gomen, gomen," the idol said, to the pouting girl. "Didn't mean to embarrass you there, but usually other yokai would just outright ask instead of doing it politely."

"That's because you're a friend to Nurarihyon-sama so course I need to be polite!" yuki-onna reasoned.

"Hmmm…" the idol hummed a slight mischievous smirk on his face. "So because I'm a friend of Nurarihyon are you willing to treat me the same as him?"

"Why, of course." Tsurara said.

"Including doing me a few favors?"

"Um, yes?" the yuki-onna said uncertainly now.

"Then, if I asked you to give me a kiss will you do it?"

"EH?!" Tsurara cried, taking a few steps away from him, but the older yokai just laughed. "Gomen, gomen," he said once more, waving his hands about. "I was just kidding, though seeing your flustered was kinda cute." He said, grinning.

"W-wha-?..." the poor girl couldn't even form a proper sentence. She was blushing too madly to think. Tilting his head a bit, the aosagibi grinned even further. "Come to think of it that expression you're making is even cuter." He said.

"W-would you please stop that!" Tsurara cried, red tainting her cheeks and all the way down her neck. Later, she would realize that he completely evaded her question.

Not too far away from them, a door to a café suddenly opened and Rikuo and his friends stepped out, all of them holding unto drinks as they walked. "Hey, isn't that Tsurara?" Tori said.

"Hm?" Saori hummed, her mouth occupied from sipping at the straw attached to her drink. "Hey, you're right, but who's that with her?" Shima said, catching Rikuo's attention. As far as he knew, Tsurara was supposed to be alone since Aotabo was attending to human biker gang. "I don't recognize that person." The soccer player said, squinting as he tried to get a better look.

"Hm, I guess Tsurara really is seeing someone." Kana said. Now that really caught Rikuo's attention as he took a look at the person standing next to the yuki-onna. And what he saw caused him to grip his own drink too tight that it spilled, not that he noticed. Across the street from them, was Tsurara, her face deeply red as she shouted something at the man next to her. A man, who was not remarkable at first sight, became increasingly familiar with each passing second as he laughed and teased the younger girl.

_"__Ah…"_ he thought as realization hits him. _"Now I know why I hate him_

* * *

**Hiya peeps! Just like to say thanks to those who reviewed, I really appreciated them. I already explained this in another story I'm making, but since I have more readers here I thought I should let you guys know. I have a problem with my eyesight, so I can't stare at a computer screen for too long without them hurting like a bitch. That, or I might start losing sight, literally. Anyways, I'm gonna have surgery soon so no worries. Hope you guys will understand why I won't update as much as I want to. **

**Anyways, here are some fun facts. **

**Random Facts:**

**Nishino-shima – there's a group of islands in the southern part of Japan, south of Bonin Islands and part of the municipality of Ogasawara, called the Volcano Islands. Actually there's only three islands, but Nishino-shima is quite close so it's also considered part of the volcanic arch. **


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